Foreignness and Ritual Humor among 16th Century Nahuas

Abstract

The ancient Nahua, particularly the Mexica, developed a conflictual relationship with foreigners, especially those who spoke languages other than Nahuatl. This conflict was rooted in the perceived contradiction and threat that foreign cultural models posed to the Nahua worldview. One way of managing the threatening otherness of foreigners was to incorporate it into the sphere of ritual humor. The Mexica commonly parodied foreigners’ clothing, bodily practices, and manner of speaking, both during ritual festivals and in moments of leisure at the court of the tlatoani, the ruler, where jesters provided entertainment. These mockeries of the foreigner were not merely recreational acts; rather, they fulfilled important pedagogical and moral functions within Mexica society, and Nahua society more broadly. Through exaggerated representations of the foreign ‘other,’ often reaching the limits of the grotesque, Nahua moral codes and standards of proper behavior were activated and reinforced by contrast. This process contributed to the strengthening of ethnic identity by closing ranks against foreigners, particularly those who spoke non-Nahuatl languages.