Spanish mendicants in the sixteenth century taught indigenous scribes in their communities to write their languages in Latin letters and there is a large number of local-level documents in Nahuatl, Zapotec, Mixtec, and Yucatec Maya from the colonial era, many of which were part of lawsuits and other legal matters. Although Spaniards initially taught indigenous scribes alphabetic writing, the tradition became self-perpetuating at the local level. The Spanish crown gathered such documentation and contemporary Spanish translations were made for legal cases. Scholars have translated and analyzed these documents in what is called the New Philology to write histories of indigenous peoples from indigenous viewpoints. COUNT 5
QSN1 When were indigenous scribes taught to use Latin letters? ANS1 the sixteenth century QSN2 Who taught indigenous scribes to write their languages? ANS2 Spanish QSN3 What were a large number of the local documents in regards to? ANS3 lawsuits and other legal matters QSN4 What were Spanish translations at the time made for? ANS4 legal cases QSN5 What viewpoint have scholars translated and analyzed documents to writes histories from? ANS5 indigenous