Bernardino de Sahagún

Bernardino de Sahagún, born in 1499 in Sahagún, Spain, was a Franciscan friar and missionary priest who played a pivotal role in the Catholic evangelization of colonial New Spain, now known as Mexico. Arriving in New Spain in 1529, he dedicated over fifty years to the study of Aztec culture, beliefs, and history, becoming a pioneering ethnographer in the process.

His commitment to his missionary work did not overshadow his remarkable contributions to documenting the indigenous worldview. Sahagún is often celebrated as the first anthropologist for his extensive research and writings, particularly his compilation of the 'Historia general de las cosas de la Nueva España,' known in English as the 'General History of the Things of New Spain.' This monumental work is best represented by the Florentine Codex, a codex of two thousand four hundred pages organized into twelve books, featuring approximately two thousand five hundred illustrations created by native artists.

The Florentine Codex is unique in its bilingual presentation, with text in both Spanish and Nahuatl on opposing folios, complemented by pictorials that serve as a third form of narrative. It meticulously documents the culture, religious cosmology, rituals, society, economics, and history of the Aztec people, including a detailed account of the conquest of the Aztec Empire from the perspective of Tenochtitlan-Tlatelolco.

In his efforts to compile the 'Historia general,' Sahagún developed innovative methods for gathering ethnographic information and ensuring its accuracy. His work has been hailed as one of the most remarkable accounts of a non-Western culture ever produced, earning him the title of the father of American ethnography. In recognition of his contributions, UNESCO declared his work a World Heritage in two thousand fifteen.