Clavijero y sus estrategias lingüísticas para defender la cultura mexicana

Francisco Javier Clavijero (1731-1787), a Mexican Jesuit, after the Decree that banished the Society of Jesus from the territories of the Spanish crown, arrives in 1767 in Bologna, Italy, where he engages in a fervent intellectual activity. The distance from his homeland, his interest in the ancient history of Mexico and especially the need to reply to authors such as Buffon and Pauw, who criticize everything related to America in their works, drive him to write as an answer the Storia antica del Messico, published in Cesena in 1780-1781. It is the translation of the Historia Antigua de México from the same author, which was not published until 1945. In this study, the two texts are compared highlighting their aims, the strategies used in each text, differences, similarities, enhancements and especially the use of the Mexican language as a catalysing element. Some examples that the author uses to reply to criticisms are presented.