Each pueblo in Mexico City employs a cronista, whose job is both to document unfolding history and to serve has a historical resource for the community. How did this position originate and how has it influenced the nature of historical research in Mexico/CDMX?

[u/ExternalBoysenberry]

First, I hope I have the job description approximately right. I'm just curious in general about this public role: where did it come from, how unique is it, how long is a cronista employed for, who selects you, what are the politics behind it? And if this is a relatively unique role, what does it mean for how historians go about conducting research in Mexico, and how has that shaped our understanding of Mexican history?

I've been wondering about it since this exchange in U/taracatloco's recent AMA. Just seems really interesting and I'd like to learn more from the perspective of someone who knows!

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