Epítome ó Modo Fácil de Aprender el Idioma Nahuatl, ó Lengua Mexicana
Author: Faustino Chimalpopoca Galicia (1802-1877)
Year: 1869
Publisher: Tip. de la V. de Murguia e hijos
Place: Mexico City
Description:
124 pages. Duodecimo (6 1/4" x 4") bound in modern blue leather with gilt lettering to spine,. (Ugarte 114) First edition.
*Epítome ó modo fácil de aprender el idioma náhuatl ó lengua mexicana* [Epitome or an Easy Way to Learn the Nahuatl Language, or the Mexican Tongue] is a historical grammatical manual written in 1869 by the Indigenous scholar Faustino Chimalpopoca Galicia. It is a foundational and pioneering work—originally designed with 14 lessons spanning just over 120 pages—intended for the structured, self-taught study of this pre-Hispanic language. Structure of the Historical Work: Rules of Pronunciation and Accentuation: The method introduces Nahuatl phonetics and teaches how to vocalize in a natural way, using an adapted Latin alphabet. Explains how the root of a word changes when forming the plural, as well as the importance of possessive prefixes. Details, step by step, how to build everything from simple ideas to more complex thoughts by combining pronouns and verbs.
Faustino Galicia Chimalpopoca, also known as Faustino Chimalpopoca Galicia was a historian and a *nahuatlato* (a speaker and translator of the Nahuatl language). His manuscripts are scattered across various collections, including the *Fondo Reservado* (Reserved Collection) at the National Library of Mexico; the *Colección Antigua* (Ancient Collection) at the National Museum of Anthropology; the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley; the Newberry Library at the University of Chicago; and the National Library of France, among others. He was also a Knight of the Imperial Order of Guadalupe. The son of Alejo Chimalpopoca Galicia, a ruler of Tláhuac, he was born in the neighborhood of Ticic—later renamed San Miguel Nepohualoyan. With the support of Emperor Agustín de Iturbide, he studied at the *Colegio de San Ildefonso*, where he earned a law degree. He taught the Nahuatl language at the *Colegio de San Gregorio* and the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico. He was a member of the Mexican Society of Geography and Statistics. During the Second French Intervention in Mexico, he met Maximilian of Habsburg, to whom he gave Nahuatl lessons. He supported the imperial cause and served as an instructor in indigenous languages to Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota of Mexico. In his capacity as a commissioner for indigenous affairs—and later as president of the *Junta Protectora de las Clases Menesterosas* (Protective Board for the Needy Classes) of Mexico—he helped draft measures aimed at improving the lives of the empire's indigenous population. Following the fall of the Second Mexican Empire, he went into exile in France, but returned to Mexico years later. He worked at the National Museum of Archaeology, Ethnology, and History,
Condition:
Modern binding. Name in pencil to title with a small perforation in signature and occasional pencil notation to text, pages age toned with some foxing else very good.
