Translated from the Nahuatl by John Bierhorst
The two Nahuatl texts that are preserved in the Codex Chimalpopoca are the Anales de Cuahtitlan (Annals of Cuauhtitlan, dated 1570), and Leyenda de los Soles (Legend of the Suns, dated 1558).
The anonymous author of Annals of Cuauhtitlan uses the remaining records from Tetzcoco, Cuitlahuac, and Colhuacan to tell the story of the Valley of Mexico, “The result, nevertheless, is a traditionary account, rich in mythopoetic as well as historical values. Today it is best known for its colorful variant of the Legend of Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, priest-king of Tollan, who became drunk in the company of his sister, fled in shame, and was changed into the morning star” (Bierhorst 4).
The text gives the year counts with chronological entries from ca. A.D. 635 to A.D. 1518, “In sum, a complex and very dense work, enlivened by the myth of the five suns (2:2-52), the Nezahualcoyotl saga (34:33-39:53), the scandals of Moquihuix (55:16-48), the story of the origin of the skull rack lords of Cuitlahuac (62:11-63:22), and, of course, the famous legend of Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl (3:49-8:4).”
“As pure chronicle, the text is significant for its rare histories of Cuauhtitlan, Cuitlahuac, and Xaltocan, as well as for it voluminous treatment of the Tepaneca war, which (as tradition suggests) laid the groundwork for the Mexica empire. And, finally, as ethnography, the work offers information on Aztec land tenure, statecraft, the tribute system, the role of women, warfare, religion, and especially, human sacrifice” (Bierhorst 7).
The Legend of the Suns is the second Nahuatl text that is preserved in the Codex Chimalpopoca, and while it is likely that both authors had access to pictographic sources, it is much more obvious in the latter (7).
This video provides a synopsis of the Legends of the Sun, The Five Suns: A Sacred History to Mexico.
Bierhorst, John. History and Mythology of the Aztecs The Codex Chimalpopoca. University of Arizona Press, 1992.
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