The Rememberer

During Aztec times, every sizable village had a Rememberer, someone who mentally stored all the history of their village, maintaining an oral history of important things and events so that nothing would ever be forgotten. The person had an aura of spiritual connection and was "gifted" by possessing an expansive memory, used on the spot by village leaders. This position of esteem existed for generations within the elaborate structure of Aztec life---until the time of the Spanish conquest. A Rememberer was chosen early to train the mind and immerse himself in memorizing ideas, lengthy history and spiritual tasks.

Sitting in the 1959 station wagon, I would listen to Dad as he clucked out the names of Aztec gods, blending the "t" and "l", as in chocolatl, and the “t” and “z”, expertly enunciating “Quetzacoatl, Popocateptl, Huitzilipoztl”. I wondered why he wanted me to know these difficult names, and he would just laugh and tell me that speaking Spanish was good, but knowing Nahuatl was revealing about nature and people. He would cite names of Aztec poets like Cuahtemoc and recite a poem in Nahuatl, with me staring at him wondering how he could ever REMEMBER the detail, difficult pronunciations and even poetry.

Over the years I heard so much about the gods, Teotihuacan, la Malinche (the wicked Aztec woman who helped the Spaniards), and why we still used words like “chancla”, “pozole” and “tamal” . At some point, I asked Dad why he felt so strongly about it, thinking it was because of Mama Felipita, but instead of a direct answer he would offer parables on the wrongs of organized religion, i.e. Catholicism, a big negative in his mind. He would also scorn the government on their attitudes against Native Americans in both Mexico and the U.S. Since his passing, thinking about Dad’s history conversations, his extensive knowledge of the indigenous people of Mexico, the Apaches and Comanches, I slowly realized what a great and joyful Rememberer he would have made!

Josie Simons