Librado Silva Galeana’s 78th Birthday

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Chihuahua-based guest artist Raul Urias, celebrates Mexican translator, teacher, researcher, and author Librado Silva Galeana, an expert in the ancient Nahuatl language that was spoken within Mexico’s Aztek and Toltec civilizations. Galeana is widely known for his Spanish translation of a 16th-century collection of Nahuatl oral history called Huehuetlahtolli: Testimonies of the Old Word, in addition to many other Nahuatl poems and stories that encapsulate Mexico’s rich history and culture. 

Librado Silva Galeana was born on this day in 1942 in Santa Ana Tlacotenco, Mexico. His parents were both Nahuatl speakers and passed the language down to Galeana. Fueled by a love of linguistics, he studied to become a teacher and dedicated much of his academic work to the preservation and promotion of his mother tongue of Nahuatl.

In the mid-1970s, he collaborated with fellow Nahuatl teachers to found the Ignacio Ramírez Social and Cultural Circle, a group named after the famed 19th-century Mexican writer and dedicated to the study of the language. Throughout his career, Galeana carried on Ramírez’s legacy of championing indigenous languages and knowledge. He contributed his expertise in Nahuatl to a variety of scholarly research in order to develop a deeper understanding of the indigenous heritage that helped to shape modern Mexico.

In recognition of his efforts to conserve the Nahuatl language and culture, Galeana was awarded the Nezahualcóyotl Prize for Indigneous Languages by Mexico’s Federal District Department in 1994.

Happy birthday, Librado Silva Galeana, and thank you for helping to preserve and celebrate culture.

Guest Artist Q&A with Raul Urias

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Mexico City-based guest artist Raul Urias. Below, he shares his thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:
 

Q: Why was this topic meaningful to you personally? 

A: This was meaningful for me because of my Mexican roots, to be able to graphically represent such an important character in the preservation of Mexican roots and to be able to contribute so that this voice is amplified with my graphics for the world.
 

 Q: What were your first thoughts when you were approached about the project?

A: As an illustrator, I think that making a Doodle for Google is something that many of us want to do at least once in our career. I was excited to know that it was happening and that the subject had a strong relationship with Mexico; it made me very happy.
 

 Q: Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? 

A: I documented a lot with the Aztec graphics, who spoke the language promoted by Silva Galeana, which is Naguatl. I wanted the graphics to feel with real knowledge adapted to my style and with elements that had a strong relationship with the author, everything is united by his figure at the center, creating a contemporary vision of Aztec graphics. I hope Galeana would have liked to be represented in this way.
 

 Q: What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A: That they like the Doodle and are interested in knowing more about Silva Galeana, her legacy, and the Nahuatl language, and Mexican culture and roots in general.

Early concepts and sketches of the Doodle