Overview

The first English publication of the earliest surviving Christian sermons from the Americas The Americas’ First Sermons presents the first English translation and critical study of the complete set of sermons composed by Franciscan friar Bernardino de SahagÚn and his Nahua students at the Imperial College of Santa Cruz in Tlatelolco, Mexico in 1540. The volume represents a crucial moment in the cultural exchange between European and Indigenous civilizations in sixteenth-century colonial Mexico. With the collaboration of Mario Alberto SÁnchez Aguilera, this edition offers unprecedented access to the collaboration between European friars and Nahua scholars in translating Christian concepts into Native languages. It captures SahagÚn’s evolving methods across three phases (1530s–1560s) through his extensive annotations, bridging the divide between his ethnographic and doctrinal works. Unique in its analysis of both text and manuscript features—such as rare maguey paper—it highlights Indigenous intellectual contributions at the Colegio de Santa Cruz. This translation provides essential insights into early colonial religious negotiations and makes previously inaccessible material available to scholars across multiple disciplines.

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9781647692551

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Reviews

“This book makes a very important missionary text available in form accessible not simply to scholars of Nahuatl but also to those who do not know the language and need to rely on trustworthy translations. Leeming's balance between faithfulness to the native language and making the text understandable in English is to his credit.” - John F. Schwaller, University at Albany “A pleasantly engaging read that feels like a captivating novel, all while providing a wealth of new knowledge. It will undoubtedly be received with enthusiasm by all scholars interested in the Native cultures of New Spain and the Nahuatl language, for whom it will become a crucial investigation tool.” - Katarzyna Szoblik, University of Warsaw

Author Information

Ben Leeming is author of Aztec Antichrist: Performing the Apocalypse in Early Colonial Mexico. He is the John B. Jarzavek Teaching Chair and chair of history at The Rivers School in Weston, Massachusetts.

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