Ancient manuscripts returned to Otomi community

The National Anthropology and History Library (BNAH) has restored and preserved ancient manuscripts which tell the history of El Alberto, an Otomi community in the state of Hidalgo.

The manuscripts, ranging from the 17th century to the 19th, were given to members of the Otomi community, according to a press release of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) .

“The papers had been stored in a folder, which caused them to deteriorate with time as this kind of material generates acid. Thus, we decided to make a case of a material known as 'Mylar' to protect them,” said Brito Guadarrama, head of the BNHA.

The INAH also took the opportunity to make a transcription of the documents. Of the almost 25 pages of information, only four were transcribed, which talk about a property title issued by the Spanish Crown during the 18th century.

The documents are in Castilian Spanish, with some words written in Náhuatl and Otomi.

The manuscripts were also digitized for safekeeping and the leaders of the community were given a USB flash drive with a copy of the files.

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