EstudiosdeHistoriaNovohispana57(2017)6–7
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Estudios de Historia Novohispana
www.historicas.unam.mx/publicaciones/revistas/novohispana/novohispana.html
Obituary
In memoriam Bernardo García Martínez (1946–2017)
In memoriam Bernardo García Martínez (1946–2017)
Untilrecently,IhadnoideathatIsharedanenthusiasmfortrolleycarswithBernardoGarcía Martínez(1946–2017),whosedeathdeprivedtheworldofoneofitsmosteminenthistoricalgeog- raphers.Sincehewasrarelygiventoself-revelatorydiscussion,thereweremanyotherthingsIdid notknowabouthim.Perhapsthiswasparadoxicalforsomeonewhowasfamousforhonest,indeed, sometimesbrutallyhonestevaluations.AskingBernardohisopinionaboutabookorpapercouldbe bracing;thesamecriticalfacilitiescouldbedirectedatyourwork.Sometimestheywere:Bernardo neverhesitatedtocorrectmymistakes,arguewithmypolitics,ordismissmyinterestincertainkinds ofhistoricalwriting.HeonceobservedthatIhadletaMexicancolleagueoffthehooktooeasilyina review.Iwasabashedbecausehewascorrect.Bernardo’snear-legendaryintoleranceforfoolishness wasmatchedonlybyhisperspicacity.This,inturn,framedaneruditionthatwas,ifanything,quite intimidating.Andyettheeruditionwasunassuming,wornlightly,astheysay.IknewBernardocould nothavepossiblyvisitedeveryIndianpuebloinMexico,butIwouldhaveneverputmoneyonit.Much tomyregret,InevertravelledwithhiminMexico.AndnowIneverwill.
Thecircumstancesofourfirstmeetingwereinauspicious.Itwasfollowingthe44thInternational CongressofAmericanistsinManchester,UK,in1982.WewereintroducedatthehomeofDavidBrading inCambridgebySusanDeans-Smith,whowasthenBrading’sstudent.Brading,Irecall,triedvaliantly toengageBernardoinconversation,whilehe,asSusanputit,“staredathisshoes.”Isaidlittle.My reservewasonlyheightenedbymythinkingthatthisBernardoGarcíaMartínezcouldonlybetheson oftheauthorofElMarquesadodelValle(1969),forsurely,hewastooyoungtohaveauthoredsuchan accomplishedbook,whichwas,infact,hisMaster’sthesis(1968)attheColegiodeMéxico.WhenIgot overmyastonishedconfusion,whichBernardoregardedwithsuitableamusement,IbegantosenseI wasinthepresenceofascholarofadifferentorder.
Bernardoneversaidasmuch.Heneverbehavedthatway.HegrewvisiblyannoyedwhenImade anysuchsuggestion.NotthattherewasanyfalsemodestytoBernardo,becausetherewasnot.AsI gottoknowhimandhisaccomplishedwife,TakakoSudo,herselfahistorianofgreatdepth,humanity andlearning,IfoundthatBernardohadamischievoussenseofhumorandawickedappreciationof irony.Thesewererarelyonpublicdisplay,buttheycouldbeemployedwhennecessarytodevastating effect.
WhileBernardowasextraordinarilyprolific,servingasEditorofHistoriaMexicana(1974–1982);
contributingrepeatedlytotheHistoriaGeneraldeMéxico(variouseditions,1976–2010:hewasone offourauthorstoappearineachsubsequentreedition),authoringnumerousreviews,especiallyin https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehn.2017.10.004
1870-9060/
Obituary/EstudiosdeHistoriaNovohispana57(2017)6–7 7 HistoriaMexicana,andpublishingatoolittleknownsyntheticaccountofMexicanhistory,Historia deMéxico(1982),IregardedLosPueblosdelaSierra(1987)ashismasterpiece.Basedonhisdoctoral dissertationatHarvardUniversity(1980),LosPueblosdelaSierrawasarevelation.
Readersofthisjournaldonotrequirearehearsalofhisfindingsthere.Ihadneverunderstood thatthespatialconceptionofthepueblowasaradicalEuropeanalterationofthealtepetl,itselfnot primarilyaspatialbutanethnicentity.Ihadvaguelyunderstoodthisinrelationtothecongregación deindios,butitssubtletiesandrevolutionaryimplicationscouldeasilybemissed,particularlybyan English-speakingstudenttrainedintheUnitedStates.Indeed,manyofusweretaughtsomething verydifferentinourgraduateseminars,thatis,theessentialcontinuitiesoflanguage,materialculture andspiritualoutlook,asifalterationsintheconceptofplace,space,andmostbasically,ofproperty rightsthemselvesweresomehowsubordinate,ormerely“institutional,”whateverthatmeant.Insome sense,itrequiredaMexicanscholartogetthisright,andBernardodid.
ReadingBernardo’sworkonMexicanregions,LasRegionesdeMéxico(2008),whichhemodestly subtitleda“breviario”isanotheroneofthoseexperiencesthatcanonlybedescribedashumbling.Here onefindstheoutcomeofaperipateticcareerinwhichseeingwasthekeytoknowing,thatis,seeing atfirsthand.Hedoesnotsay“IhavebeeneverywhereandamdescribingthatIsaw,”butthatisthe clearsenseoftheorganizationofthebookintorecorridos,whichmakesitverymuchofavademecum thatnaturallyputsoneinmindoftheworkofPeterGerhardorofClaudeBataillon.Whenheprovided mewithanadvancecopyofSe˜noríos,pueblosymunicipios:Bancopreliminardeinformación(2012),of whichhewasprincipalcoauthor,Iaskedhow,naivelyinretrospect,hewasplanningtoconvertthe contentsofthedatabaseintosomekindofbook,Bernardorepliedsimply,“Iwouldn’tknowwhereto start.”Andwhowould?
Forthisveryreason,arguingwithBernardoabouteconomichistoryorsocialsciencehistoryAmer- icanstylewasusuallyunprofitable.Theurgetogeneralizeoreventoignorerealismintheapplication ofsomemodelinevitablyranintoBernardo’sreflexiveinsistenceonempiricalfalsification.Whythis particularsortofargumentwaslostonsomeofmycolleaguesineconomicscouldonlybeascribedto therigiddogmatismofwhichtheycustomarilyaccusedotherdisciplines.TheonlytimeIsensedtrue frustrationinBernardowaswhenIwastryingtosellhimonthemeritsofsomenew-fangledwayof measuring,counting,orotherwisedescribingthingsthatonlyignorance(mine)wouldnotdiscount aswrong-headed.Inthissense,Bernardomaywellhavebeenalittle“oldfashioned.”Whichisone wayyoumightlearnthemeritsofbeingold-fashioned.
Bernardolosthisbelovedwife,TakakoSudoShimamura,in2005.Herlossaffectedhimdeeply althoughheneverspokeofit.Thatwassimplynothisway.IknowhehadhopedtofinishTaka’s unpublishedworkonpoliticalthoughtinearlynineteenth-centuryMexico,forwhichhehadgreat respect.Deathtookhimtoosoonforthat.
Bernardoissurvivedbyhisson,AlejandroGarcíaSudo,anethnomusicologistatUCLA.Iknowof nootherimmediaterelativesinMexico.HisdeathisamajorlosstoMexicanhistory,tohiscolleagues, andtohisfriends.GarcíaMartínez’brilliantlegacyishiswork,whichwillendure.
RichardJ.Salvucci1 TrinityUniversity,SanAntonio,TX,UnitedStates
E-mailaddress:[email protected]
1ElautoragradeceaRoxanaÁlvarezNieves,delaAcademiaMexicanadelaHistoria, porsuapoyobibliográficoparalarealizacióndeestetexto.
