Diego Durán

Diego Durán (c. 1537–1588) was a Dominican friar best known for his authorship of one of the earliest Western books on the history and culture of the Aztecs, The History of the Indies of New Spain, a book that was much criticized in his lifetime for helping the "heathen" maintain their culture.

Also known as the Durán Codex, The History of the Indies of New Spain was published c. 1581. Durán also wrote Book of the Gods and Rites (1574–1576), and Ancient Calendar, (c. 1579) (Heyden, xxviii). He was fluent in Nahuatl, the Aztec language, and was therefore able to consult natives and Aztec codices as well as work done by earlier friars. His empathetic nature allowed him to gain the confidence of many native people who would not share their stories with Europeans, and was able to document many previously unknown folktales and legends that make his work unique.

Durán was born sometime around 1537 in Spain. His family traveled to Mexico when he was very young—he said later that “although I did not acquire my milk teeth in Texcoco, I got my second ones there.”' In Texcoco, a city-state known for its learning in the prehispanic period, he learned Nahuatl. His family was not wealthy, but the family did have servants who had been slaves.

When he was still young, his family moved to Mexico City where he attended school and was exposed to Aztec culture under the colonial rule of Spain, as well as the many Africans brought by the Spanish for slavery. According to Heyden, Durán was often puzzled by the mix of races and cultures and their significance for social class (Doris Heyden xxv-xxvi).

In 1556 he entered the Dominican Order and was sent to Oaxaca in 1561 after being trained in Mexico City. He resided for a time at a convent, or friary, in Oaxtepec, and there he found many informants within the Church. He is believed to have been tutored by Dominican Fray Francisco de Aguilar, who had been a soldier involved in the siege of Tenochtitlan. Aguilar later joined the Dominican order, and had much to tell Durán about the Aztecs at first contact. He was cited frequently by Durán in his History.

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