Cuauhtemoc's Bones: Forging National Identity in Modern Mexico

In 1949, a Group of Villagers and Amateur Archaeologists Dug Up what they believed to be the body of the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtaemoc, in a remote village in the mountains of central Mexico. State and local leaders enthusiastically promoted the remarkable discovery, and nationalist celebrations erupted across the country. The festivities ended when professional archaeologists declared the tomb a forgery, igniting the greatest scandal in the cultural politics of modern Mexico. In this innovative study of nationalism, Paul Gillingham pieces together an intricate puzzle that stretches across five centuries and moves from the forests of southern Mexico, where Cuauhtaemoc was hanged, through the mountains of Guerrero, where he was re-created, to end in thestreets and corridors of power of Mexico City. The analysis captures the complex interactions of everyday people and elites engaged in forging a nation.