Answer Key: Colonial Documents and Archives

A primary source is a source that was created at the time in which the source is referenced by someone who witnessed the event. It can be anything from a piece of writing to a photograph. A secondary source differs from a primary source because it was not written by somebody who directly witnessed the event- it often includes secondary commentary and research after the fact. Some examples include a journal or an interview.

Answers may vary. Possible answers may include: old manuscripts, intricate handwriting, and stamps that indicate the time period the document was written in. Sebastiana de Mendoza, Hernán Cortés, and Bartolomé de Las Casa are all examples of authors of colonial documents. Many authors of the colonial documents mention religion and local politics.

Land ownership must have played a big part in society and every record that referenced it was important. It also must have been important to record the transfer of money between involved parties. Additionally, at this time, it is likely that propriety granted access to hierarchical and political benefits, so it was important to keep a careful record of land ownership.

Answers may vary. For example, “Bill of Sale from Santo Domingo Etla, 1702”. From looking at the metadata on Ticha’s website, the town in which this bill of sale was written in, the primary parties and witnesses involved, what date it was written, and the archive where this manuscript is located, among other things are present.

This document is about Bartholomé Ezperanza and Antonia María (sellers) and Felipe Ezperanza (buyer). Scribes and witnesses are also mentioned. This document is a Bill of Sale. It was produced in 1740. It was created in Oaxaca de Juarez. It is still there in an archive called Archivo General del Poder Ejecutivo del Estado de Oaxaca. It was made to record a transaction between buyers and a seller. It was preserved because land ownership was/is important in Oaxacan society.

Answers may vary. For example, this information is included so people could verify that the information was correct and coming from a person who knew how to translate between Zapotec and Spanish. The role of interpreters was to make documents readable for speakers of both Zapotec and Spanish.

This documents the transfer of land between parties. A woman, Antonia Maria, was part of a deal. Also, the testament of the interpreter is present in the document:

“Yo el ynterprete del Jusgado tradusgo este escritura que original en la YDioma zapotheco se me entregó el qual esta fielmente tradusido Y consentado de de la YDioma zapothe.”

This tells that although women were not principally included in the deals, their presence was noted in society. Additionally, this shows the importance of land ownership in the society.

In the other Bills of Sale, the metadata usually contains helpful summarizing information like parties involved, where and when the document was written, and the document type. This information helps to further understand the document. Additionally, women are mentioned less than men are. By checking multiple sources, we can start to see patterns in language and content within the documents.

Perhaps there are only certain archives that Ticha has access to, which would prevent access to some other manuscripts. Because of the way this archive is set up, significant information can be gleaned from a brief scan of the document. Colonial handwriting is often hard to read, so the transcription makes the documents more accessible to the average person. Additionally, analysis and translation help to supplement the document itself, making it easier to use and learn from. However, digital experience can take away from actually being in the physical archive and being in the place where the manuscript or document was written.