Trickery is heavily underfoot in Mesoamerican texts with a particular emphasis on the works, Popul Vuh and the Cantares Mexicanos: Songs of Aztec Nobility. Both Popul Vuh and the Cantares Mexicanos exemplify the trickster persona and archetype in both their conservation and the narratives within. While Popul Vuh follows the ideal characterization of the trickster archetype in its two hero twins, for both of these works, their preservation rested on the trickery of the indigenous people in order to preserve their history and belief system. For example, when writing down the Popul Vuh, pictorial guides were not used in an effort to circumvent destruction by the Spanish conqueror, Hernán Cortés, like so many of their other cultural works before them. In regards to the Songs of Aztec Nobility, the songs were written in a sort of code, with Christian imagery used as either an ironic way or genuine incorporation of their belief system. In any …show more content…
Indigenous scholars often transcribed Mesoamerican texts in the 16th century as an effort to preserve local culture in the face of Western influence and its deeply religious conquerors. However, with regards to the Cantares Mexicanos, the work was written down so that the Spanish could use it as a tool in converting the local Aztecs. Traveling missionaries and Spanish conquerors often used local culture to their advantage in an effort to promote and indoctrinate the locals to the Christian faith and way of life. Mesoamerican texts oftentimes expanded a certain amount of trickery in their story telling by using Christian symbols as a way of blending local culture to