He Sololá Memorial It opens an edition with the critical translation of the oldest copy that exists of the original manuscript, made by Dr. Sergio Francisco Romero Florián. This ancestral book is now available online for everyone.
Romulo Gallegos, rector of the Mesoamerican University (UMES) explains that this Center for Higher Studies has been publishing the volumes of the Mesoamerican Studies series, financed with own funds. “The series includes CRonic
Mesoamericanas, Mesoamerican citiesa critical translation of Popol Wuj, he Madrid Codex and the Dresden Codexamong others.
Now this new edition of the Sololá Memorial“, says Gallegos. This edition presents photographs of the manuscript, the transcription, translation and a critical study of Dr. Sergio Romero that is anthropologist, linguist and polyglot. Joshua Morales,
Editorial Coordinator of Umes, explains that this is the eighth title of the collection and in the edition the historian Horacio Cabezas and the priest and theologian Félix Serrano also worked.
1. Why is Sololá’s memorial important?
He Sololá Memorial It is a manuscript whose date is between 1572 and 1583. It is also known as Annals of the Kaqchikeles. Experts comment that this work, like the Popol Wujdescribes the culture, traditions and customs of the peoples
Postclassic Mayans of the Altiplano.
The texts tell the story of the Kaqchikeles. The oldest copy of the original manuscript, which is missing, It is preserved in the Gutenberg section of the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania.
Gallegos shares that it is the story of a people who suffered, who lived an invasion and uprooting situation and that fought for his life, his ideals and his survival. “I do not judge the conquest or colonization; they are historical, social and cultural events to which many peoples have been submitted. However, it is beautiful to see how the expression of a people manifested in this Memorial“He adds.
2. Curious details of the current edition
Matilde Ivic, archaeologist, explains that this new edition includes “spectacular” photographs of the copy of the manuscript made in the seventeenth century, accompanied by the transcription in Kaqchikel and the Spanish translation of Sergio Romero.
Romero undertook the task of transcribing the text due to the difficulty of directly accessing the manuscript. “Another of the wealth is that, being polyglota and speaker of several Mayan and Nahuatl languages, he could translate titles, names and words written in K’iche ‘, Ch’ol, Mam, Mam, Q’eqchi’ and Nahuatl. In addition to the authors Kaqchikeles described by Francisco Hernández Arana and Francisco López Pakal, Romero identified six other authors whose names do not appear, when it was previously thought that there were only two or three, “explains IVIC.
3. Meeting with history
IVIC expresses that one of the great values of the Sololá Memorial It is the accuracy of Cultural Development Kaqchikel Pre -Hispanic and the dates recorded from 1493, including the Spanish conquest and later events until approximately 1619.
“In their letters from Pedro de Alvarado almost did not include dates, while the Kaqchikeles did based on their Juna calendar. ‘ For example, in 1493 there was a great battle between different groups of Kaqchikeles and won it from Iximché. They also describe customs, ceremonies, wars and other transcendental events. They accurately date the beginning of the pests infected by the Spaniards and describe the symptoms, “says Ivic.
The Kaqchikeles were part of the Mayan civilization of the post -classic period. “Guatemalans should not consider Kaqchikeles as traitors, as taught in schools. It is not so. They had different political entities: the k’iche’s,
the kaqchikeles, the tz’utujiles, and all competed for the same“The archaeologist says.
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4. Promote the book in the new generations
Ilonka Ixmucané Matute, director of the Luis Cardoza y Aragón National Libraryconsider invaluable that translations of texts that preserve the history of the country are being carried out. “I defend the paper book, but it is a wealth that this edition is also available within the University website and that is freely accessible“says the professional.
Matute and IVIC also reflect on the need to create new versions aimed at children and adolescents to bring them closer to pre -Hispanic cultural development and history. February should devote itself to studying the Spanish conquest. “It is urgent that this
Do, but it must also become an educational policy. We must discover our roots, where we come from, who we are and why we are as we are, “concludes the director of the library.
For his part, Laura Jasmine Cotí, Vice Minister of Cultural and Natural Heritage, comments that these editions throw new visions, new lines and roads, especially because they reinforce the oral tradition of the communities that have been telling us day by day.
5. Where to consult the book?
The book will be on sale at the facilities of the Umes and soon in Sofos. The investment is Q700.
Free of charge, will be available for consultation in the country’s libraries and can be downloaded in format PDF From the University page: www.umes.edu.gt.