Alonso de Molina (1513[1] or 1514[2][3] – 1579[1] or 1585[2][3]) was a Franciscan priest and grammarian, who wrote a well-known dictionary of the Nahuatl language published in 1571[4].
He was born in Spain but arrived in Mexico while still a child[5] and he became fluent in Nahuatl[6] while playing with Aztec children. Molina arrived in Mexico immediately following Cortes' invasion. As a young man he entered the Franciscan order and became ordained as a priest. He taught at the Colegio de Santa Cruz in Tlatelolco along with Bernardino de Sahagún and Andrés de Olmos. Besides his priestly duties, Molina devoted himself to the study, understanding and writing of Nahuatl. He composed and preached many sermons in the Nahuatl tongue.
Molina's Vocabulary in Castilian and Mexican language which he composed between 1555 and 1571 was the first dictionary printed in the New World, and, together with Olmos’ work, was the first published systematic approach to an indigenous language. It is still considered an indispensable tool for students of Classical Nahuatl language[7].
Molina was named a saint in the early 1600s, he is not highly known. But he is revered in his lifelong devotion to the church and by translating the bible to the native language. Molina has decedents traced to Guatemala, Mexico City, and even the United States.