Mixtec social memory in Late Renaissance Rome: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, and “the skull of an Indian king”
The article discusses the contents of a series of post-1577 manuscripts in which the Bolognese polymath Ulisse Aldrovandi described the collection of naturalia and artificialia held in Rome by Tommaso de’ Cavalieri. After describing the various Mesoamerican objects in the collection, the article foc...
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| Udgivet i: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/jsa, |
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| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Sprog: | Anglais |
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Journal de la Société des américanistes
2025
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| Online adgang: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
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openedition-oai:revues.org:jsa_23733 |
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openedition |
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OpenEdition Journal |
| language |
Anglais |
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Article ou chapitre numérique |
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0/Bibliothèque numérique/ 1/Bibliothèque numérique/OpenEdition Journals/ |
| topic |
Ulisse Aldrovandi Tommaso de’ Cavalieri culture matérielle mésoaméricaine histoire mixtèque histoire des collections Ulisse Aldrovandi Tommaso de’ Cavalieri Mesoamerican material culture Mixtec history history of collections Ulisse Aldrovandi Tommaso de’ Cavalieri cultura material mesoamericana historia mixteca historia de las colecciones |
| spellingShingle |
Ulisse Aldrovandi Tommaso de’ Cavalieri culture matérielle mésoaméricaine histoire mixtèque histoire des collections Ulisse Aldrovandi Tommaso de’ Cavalieri Mesoamerican material culture Mixtec history history of collections Ulisse Aldrovandi Tommaso de’ Cavalieri cultura material mesoamericana historia mixteca historia de las colecciones Domenici, Davide Mixtec social memory in Late Renaissance Rome: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, and “the skull of an Indian king” |
| description |
The article discusses the contents of a series of post-1577 manuscripts in which the Bolognese polymath Ulisse Aldrovandi described the collection of naturalia and artificialia held in Rome by Tommaso de’ Cavalieri. After describing the various Mesoamerican objects in the collection, the article focuses on a mosaic-encrusted skull whose arrival in Italy had previously been described in an Italian source entitled Descrittione dell’India occidentale. Besides drawing from this source, Aldrovandi recorded indigenous names and information about a previously unknown conflict that took place in 1350 CE between the Mixtec kingdoms of Tututepec and Tlaxiaco. According to Aldrovandi’s text, the skull and an associated human femur/musical instrument now in the Museo delle Civiltà (Rome) would be the bodily remains of the king of Tlaxiaco. The case study allows us to reflect on how excerpts of Mixtec historiography and social memory were recorded and reproduced in the intellectual circles of Late Renaissance Rome. |
| author |
Domenici, Davide |
| author_facet |
Domenici, Davide |
| author_sort |
Domenici, Davide |
| title |
Mixtec social memory in Late Renaissance Rome: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, and “the skull of an Indian king” |
| title_short |
Mixtec social memory in Late Renaissance Rome: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, and “the skull of an Indian king” |
| title_full |
Mixtec social memory in Late Renaissance Rome: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, and “the skull of an Indian king” |
| title_fullStr |
Mixtec social memory in Late Renaissance Rome: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, and “the skull of an Indian king” |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Mixtec social memory in Late Renaissance Rome: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, and “the skull of an Indian king” |
| title_sort |
mixtec social memory in late renaissance rome: ulisse aldrovandi, tommaso de’ cavalieri, and “the skull of an indian king” |
| publisher |
Journal de la Société des américanistes |
| publishDate |
2025 |
| container_title |
URI:https://journals.openedition.org/jsa |
| url |
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/13hkr https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/23733 |
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1877292129479294976 |
| spelling |
openedition-oai:revues.org:jsa_23733 https://doi.org/10.4000/13hkr urn:doi:10.4000/13hkr en https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/23733 2025-02-06T13:49:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/13hkr https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Mixtec social memory in Late Renaissance Rome: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, and “the skull of an Indian king” Journal de la Société des américanistes Société des américanistes info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/1957-7842 info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/0037-9174 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/jsa Domenici, Davide Ulisse Aldrovandi Tommaso de’ Cavalieri culture matérielle mésoaméricaine histoire mixtèque histoire des collections Ulisse Aldrovandi Tommaso de’ Cavalieri Mesoamerican material culture Mixtec history history of collections Ulisse Aldrovandi Tommaso de’ Cavalieri cultura material mesoamericana historia mixteca historia de las colecciones The article discusses the contents of a series of post-1577 manuscripts in which the Bolognese polymath Ulisse Aldrovandi described the collection of naturalia and artificialia held in Rome by Tommaso de’ Cavalieri. After describing the various Mesoamerican objects in the collection, the article focuses on a mosaic-encrusted skull whose arrival in Italy had previously been described in an Italian source entitled Descrittione dell’India occidentale. Besides drawing from this source, Aldrovandi recorded indigenous names and information about a previously unknown conflict that took place in 1350 CE between the Mixtec kingdoms of Tututepec and Tlaxiaco. According to Aldrovandi’s text, the skull and an associated human femur/musical instrument now in the Museo delle Civiltà (Rome) would be the bodily remains of the king of Tlaxiaco. The case study allows us to reflect on how excerpts of Mixtec historiography and social memory were recorded and reproduced in the intellectual circles of Late Renaissance Rome. El artículo discute el contenido de una serie di manuscritos post-1577 en donde el docto boloñés Ulisse Aldrovandi registró la colección romana de Tommaso de’ Cavalieri. Después de una descripción de los artefactos mesoamericanos en la colección, el artículo se centra en un cráneo decorado con mosaico, cuya llegada a Italia se describe en una fuente italiana titulada Descrittione dell’India occidentale. Además de copiar información de esta fuente, Aldrovandi registró nombres indígenas y datos relativos a un antes desconocido enfrentamiento militar entre los reinos mixtecos de Tlaxiaco y Tututepec, supuestamente ocurrido en 1350 d.C. De acuerdo con el texto de Aldrovandi, el cráneo y un fémur/instrumento musical a ello asociado –hoy preservado en el Museo delle Civiltà de Roma– serían los restos corporales de un rey de Tlaxiaco. El caso de estudio permite reflexionar sobre la forma en que fragmentos de historiografía y memoria social mixteca fueron registrados y reproducidos en los círculos intelectuales de la Roma tardorrenacentista. L’article traite d’une série de manuscrits postérieurs à 1577 où l’érudit bolognais Ulisse Aldrovandi décrit la collection de naturalia et d’artificialia détenue à Rome par Tommaso de’ Cavalieri. Après avoir fourni une description de plusieurs objets mésoaméricains de la collection, l’article se concentre sur un crâne incrusté de mosaïques dont l’arrivée en Italie avait déjà été décrite dans une source italienne intitulée Descrittione dell’India occidentale. En plus de puiser dans cette source, Aldrovandi a également enregistré des noms indigènes et des informations sur un conflit jusque-là inconnu qui, en 1350 apr. J.-C., opposa les royaumes mixtèques de Tututepec et de Tlaxiaco. Selon le texte d’Aldrovandi, le crâne et un fémur humain/instrument de musique associé, aujourd’hui au Museo delle Civiltà (Rome), seraient les restes corporels du roi de Tlaxiaco. L’étude de cas permet une réflexion sur la façon dont des extraits de l’historiographie et de la mémoire sociale mixtèques ont été enregistrés et reproduits au sein des cercles intellectuels de la fin de la Renaissance romaine. |