Codiphagic and Cosmohistorical Dimensions of the Altepetl of Chalco in Domingo Chimalpahin’s Diario (1606)

Abstract

This essay seeks to deploy two theoretical-conceptual approaches—Bolívar Echeverría’s codiphagy and Federico Navarrete’s cosmohistory—to interpret a specific work related to the world of colonial Mesoamerica: the Diario (1606) written by the indigenous chronicler Domingo Chimalpahin. Our approach is exploratory; therefore, we will consider the presence, function, and meanings of a complex socio-political term in Mesoamerican studies, the altepetl, through the specific case of Chalco, Chimalpahin’s altepetl. We will seek to explain these concepts and shape a reading that considers the relationships and exchanges within this particular work, reflecting on how codiphagous and cosmohistorical dimensions are presented.