Song of the Hummingbird

Huitzitzilin is an elderly Mexica woman forced to confront the wreckage of her world, and through her storytelling, Song of the Hummingbird exposes the struggle to redefine colonial narratives and the devastating effects of historical erasure. Historical texts possess immense power to influence the perceptions of entire cultures and immortalize biased views as truth, and they have succeeded in legitimizing exploitation and colonization. By omitting or downplaying the violence inflicted upon the colonized, these narratives can effectively paint colonizers as benevolent conquerors or liberators. They might also depict the colonized as primitive or even inherently violent, justifying the conquest as a necessary act of civilization. Such silencing extends beyond omitting experiences from the record. The very language used in colonial narratives reinforces an unequal power dynamic, portraying the colonized as passive subjects who are acted upon rather than being active participants in their own history.

Huitzitzilin recognizes the devastating impact historical accounts have had on the memory of her people. While deeply invested in having her own story heard and understood, she consistently contextualizes her experiences within the larger historical context of the conquest; she says, “These things happened in my life at the same time, one causing the other” (115).