Charles Gibson (12 August 1920 – 22 August 1985, Keeseville, N.Y.) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ethnohistorian who wrote foundational works on the

Nahua peoples The Nahuas () are a group of the indigenous people of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They comprise the largest indigenous group in Mexico and second largest in El Salvador. The Mexica (Aztecs) were of Nahua ethnicity, ...

colonial Mexico Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 ...

and was elected President of the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...

in 1977. He studied history at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

with George Kubler, and he taught for a number of years at

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...

before moving to

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. His dissertation on the Nahua polity of

Tlaxcala Tlaxcala (; , ; from nah, Tlaxcallān ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is ...

(published in 1952 as ''Tlaxcala in the Sixteenth Century''), a key ally of the Spaniards in the

conquest of Mexico The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, also known as the Conquest of Mexico or the Spanish-Aztec War (1519–21), was one of the primary events in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. There are multiple 16th-century narratives of the eve ...

, was the first major study of conquest and early colonial era Nahuas from the indigenous perspective. It remains a model for scholars working on Mesoamerican ethnohistory. He also contributed to the creation of important bibliographic guides to works in

Mexican history The written history of Mexico spans more than three millennia. First populated more than 13,000 years ago, central and southern Mexico (termed Mesoamerica) saw the rise and fall of complex indigenous civilizations. Mexico would later develop ...

, such as the ''Handbook of Latin American Studies'' and Mesoamerican ethnohistory as well as an index to the journal ''

Hispanic American Historical Review ''The Hispanic American Historical Review'' is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, scholarly journal of Latin American history, the official publication of the Conference on Latin American History, the professional organization of Latin American historian ...

.'' The culmination of his work on colonial-era Nahuas is ''The Aztecs Under Spanish Rule: A History of the Indians of the Valley of Mexico, 1519–1810'' (1964), which "reordered the research priorities for a generation of colonial historians."Potash, "Charles Gibson," p. v.

Works

*''Tlaxcala in the Sixteenth Century'', New Haven: Yale University Press 1952. *''The Aztecs Under Spanish Rule: A History of the Indians of the Valley of Mexico, 1519–1810.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1964. *''Spain in America'' New York: Harper & Row, 1966. *''The Spanish Tradition in America.'' New York: Harper & Row. 1968. *''Attitudes of colonial powers toward the American Indian'', (with Howard Peckham, editors). Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1969. *''The Inca Concept of Sovereignty and the Spanish Administration of Peru'' Austin: University of Texas Press 1948. Republished, New York: Greenwood Press, 1969. *''The Colonial Period in Latin American History''. 2nd. ed. Washington:

, 1970, 1968. *''The Black Legend: Anti-Spanish Attitudes in the Old World and the New''. New York: Knopf, 1971. *''The Tovar Calendar: an illustrated Mexican Manuscript ca. 1585. Reproduced, with a commentary and handlist of sources on the Mexican 365-day year'' (with George Kubler). New Haven: The Academy, 1951. *''Guide to the Hispanic American Historical Review, 1946–1955'' (with Victor Niemayer). Durham, NC: Duke University Press 1958. New York: Kraus Reprint Co. 1976. *"Published Collections of Documents Relating to Middle America Ethnohistory,''Handbook of Middle American Indians'', volume 13, ''Guide to Ethnohistorical Sources'', Part 2, edited by Howard F. Cline. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1973, pp. 3–42. *"Conquest, Capitulation, and Indian Treaties," (American Historical Association Presidential Address). ''

American Historical Review ''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal and the official publication of the American Historical Association. It targets readers interested in all periods and facets of history and has often been described as the ...

'' 83, no. 1, February 1978, pp. 1–15.

References

1920 births 1985 deaths Yale University alumni 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Historians of Latin America Latin Americanists American Mesoamericanists Historians of Mesoamerica Historians of Mexico Aztec scholars 20th-century Mesoamericanists Presidents of the American Historical Association University of Michigan faculty 20th-century American male writers University of Iowa faculty {{mesoamerica-stub