Graduate Student Bios

Celso Armando Mendoza y Barajas is a Mexican-American sixth-year PhD candidate studying the Aztecs or Nahuas of Mexico using documents written in Nahuatl, their language. His research focuses on their early reactions and responses to Spanish colonialism in the sixteenth century, emphasizing their resistance and discontent. His dissertation, tentatively titled “1564: The Year the Conquest of Mexico was Complete” centers on the set of Nahuatl annals known as Anales de Juan Bautista from early Mexico City. He is preparing a full English translation and edition of the Anales, a first-hand account of the resistance of the Aztecs in the 1560s to the Spanish Crown's imposition of a universal tribute in silver. Through his dissertation and translation, he aims to make more widely-known their historically important struggles against the onerous demands of their Spanish colonizers. He also has catalogued several rare and never before seen Mexican manuscripts that have recently come to light and written encyclopedia articles and book chapters on Mexican and North American history. In addition, he has done consulting for periodicals and entertainment involving the Aztecs and Nahuatl. He is the recipient of several fellowships and awards, including, most recently and notably, the SSRC’s international dissertation research fellowship. He can be reached at celsoam -AT- outlook dot com.