Mapping political space and local knowledge: power and boundaries in a Hñahñu (Otomí) territory in Valle del Mezquital, Mexico, 1521-1574

This paper examines historical changes in the spatiality of political power through the analysis of four communities of Mexico's Mezquital Valley during the late Postclassic (900-1521) and early colonial (1521-1574) periods. Recent research has suggested that the spatiality of ancient states is better understood by using networks and bounded-territory models rather than the dominant model of the modern nation-state. We find that tributary relationships and political entities of the Aztec imperial forces are better captured through a theoretical perspective that defines political entities as networks, while Hñahñu (Otomí) territoriality, usually defined by watershed divides, is more accurately illustrated using a model based on territory and boundaries. Post-conquest systems of spatial representation brought by the Spaniards were oriented towards idealized geometric forms and concrete borders. However, the study reveals that such systems were not fully implemented because colonial institutions were designed using pre-existing forms of political organization. Methodologically, the historical knowledge of a group of local experts was essential for reconstructing the changing spatial patterns of the region.