Aztec Codex / Codices
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The codex was an improvement upon the scroll, which it gradually replaced, first in the West, and much later in Asia. The codex in turn became the printed book. Aztec codices are books written by pre-Columbian and also Spanish colonial era Aztecs. These are our primary sources of information describing the Aztec culture. New World codices were written as late as the sixteenth century. Those written before the Spanish conquests seem all to have been single long sheets folded concertina-style, sometimes written on both sides of the local amate paper. They are therefore strictly speaking not actually in codex format, although they more consistently have "Codex" in their usual names than other types of manuscript. The codices of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica had the same form as the European codex, but were instead made with long folded strips of either fig bark (amatl) or plant fibers, often with a layer of whitewash applied before writing. The pre-Columbian codices differ from European codices in that they are largely pictorial; they were not meant to symbolize spoken or written narratives. The colonial era codices are made up of Aztec pictograms, Classical Nahuatl (in the Latin alphabet), Spanish, and sometimes Latin. The following codices (most with graphics) are represented here:
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Codex Borgia
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The Codex Borgia is a Mesoamerican ritual and divinatory manuscript. It is generally believed to have been written before the Spanish conquest of Mexico, somewhere within what is now today southern or western Puebla. The Codex Borgia is made of animal skins folded into 39 sheets. Each sheet measures 27 cm by 27 cm, for a total length of nearly 11 meters (35 feet). All but the end sheets are painted on both sides, providing 76 pages. The codex is read from right to left, making what we call the last page, their first page. The codex is named after the Italian Cardinal Stefano Borgia, who owned it before it was acquired by the Vatican Library. In 2004 Maarten Jansen and Gabina Aurora Pérez Jiménez proposed that it be given the indigenous name Codex Yoalli Ehecatl, Nahuatl for "Night and Wind", although it is not certain that its creators were Nahuas. History Content |
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Codex Fejérváry-Mayer |
The Codex Fejérváry-Mayer is an Aztec Codex of central Mexico. It is one of the rare pre-Hispanic manuscripts that have survived the Spanish conquest of Mexico. As a typical calendar codex tonalamatl dealing with the sacred Aztec calendar -- the tonalpohualli -- it is grouped in the Codex Borgia group. Its elaboration is typically pre-Columbian: it is made on deerskin parchment folded accordion-style into 23 pages. It measures 16.2 centimetres by 17.2 centimetres and is 3.85 metres long. The earliest history of the codex is unkown. It is named after Gabriel Fejérváry (1780–1851), a Hungarian collector, and Joseph Mayer (1803–1886), an English antiquarian who bought the codex from Fejérváry. In 2004 Maarten Jansen and Gabina Aurora Pérez Jiménez proposed that it be given the indigenous name Codex Tezcatlipoca, from the Nahuatl name of the god Tezcatlipoca, although it is not certain that its creators were Nahuas. It is currently kept in the Merseyside Museum in Liverpool, England. |
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Codex Telleriano-Remensis |
The Codex Telleriano-Remensis, produced in sixteenth century Mexico and printed on European paper, is one of the finest surviving examples of Aztec manuscript painting. Its Latinized name comes from Charles-Maurice Le Tellier, archibishop of Reims, who had possession of the manuscript in the late 17th century. The Codex is held at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. Contents |
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The Ramírez Codex is a post-conquest codex from the late 16th century entitled Relación del origen de los indios que hábitan esta Nueva España según sus Historias ("Relation of the Origin of the Indians who Inhabit this New Spain according to their Histories"). Ascribed to Juan de Tovar, most scholars believe that he based this work on an existing Nahuatl source written by a Christianized Aztec; this earlier document (or documents) is often referred to as "Chronicle X" and is presumed to be the source of a number of early manuscripts, including the Durán Codex. The Tovar manuscript was created using traditional indigenous techniques and consists of four manuscripts that narrate the history of the Aztecs, from their peregrination into the Anahuac valley to the fall of Tenochtitlan. It also discusses some aspects of the Aztec religion. The Ramírez Codex (Tovar manuscript) was discovered in 1856 by José Fernando Ramírez in the library of the convent of San Francisco in Mexico. There remain two extant copies of the codex. One is located in the Mexico's Museo Nacional de Antropología, while the other is in the library of John Carter Brown, in Rhode Island. The codex was first published in 1847 as a preface to Crónica mexicayotl, a 1598 work by Fernando Alvarado Tezozomoc. |
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The artists in the Codex Azcatitlan, a post-conquestpictorial narrative that provides an extensive historical account of the origin and migration of the Mexica people, a genealogy of their rulers, and a brief history of conquest and post-conquest events. The Mexica are one of several indigenous groups collectively referred to as “Aztec.” Chimalma, a Xiu woman, co-leading the important Aztecan migration to the south. In Codex Boturini, Codex Azcatitlan, Codex de 1576, and in several ethnohistorical sources, the migration of the 8 Nahuatlaca (Aztec tribes) from Southern Utah and centraleastern Arizona to the Valley of Mexico is represented and/or described. The migration started in the year 1 Tecpatl, or 1064, and ended about 260 years later for the Azteca Mexica (later Aztecs/Mexicans) in the year 1325. Chimalma is represented in the codices as a kind of first lady, as co-leader, but she was in fact also a kind of queen-mother for most of the later important mesoamerican groups. Indeed, her children became all political or religious leaders. From the first marriage she had 6 children:
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Aubin Codex |
The Aubin Codex is a pictorial history of the Aztecs from their departure from Aztlán from the Valley of Mexico of "Ca," composed at different dates and by different authors, with drawings and Nahuatl text. It begins with the migration from Aztlan in 1168 A.D. and continues with the dynastic history of Tenochtitlan and colonial events to 1608 A.D. The final pages list the pre-conquest and colonial rulers of Mexico-Tenochtitlan to about 1607. There is a 52-year calendar wheel in rectangular format on fol. 1 and the first page bears a title in Nahuatl and the date 1576. Among other topics, the Aubin Codex has a native description of the massacre at the temple in Tenochtitlan in 1520. This is part of the Aztec account:
The Spanish version of the incident says the conquistadors interrupted a human sacrifice in the Templo Mayor; the Aztec version says the Spaniards were enticed into action by the gold the Aztecs were wearing. This prompted an Aztec rebellion against the orders of Moctezuma. Also called "Manuscrito de 1576" (“The Manuscript of 1576”), this codex is held by the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. A copy of the original is held at the Princeton University library in the Robert Garrett Collection there. The Aubin Codex is not to be confused with the similarly-named Aubin Tonalamatl [def: The tonalamatl is a divinatory almanac used in central Mexico in the decades, and perhaps centuries, leading up to the Spanish conquest. It is Nahuatl in origin, meaning "pages of days".]
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The Codex Borbonicus is an Aztec codex written by Aztec priests shortly before or after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The codex is named after the Palais Bourbon in France. In 2004 Maarten Jansen and Gabina Aurora Pérez Jiménez proposed that it be given the indigenous name Codex Cihuacoatl, after the goddess Cihuacoatl. The Codex Borbonicus is a single sheet of amatl "paper". Although there were originally 40 accordion-folded pages, the first two and the last two pages are missing. The codex is now 46.5 feet long. Like all pre-Columbian codices, it was originally entirely pictorial in nature, although some Spanish descriptions were later added.
about the image: Codex Borbonicus can be divided into three sections: An intricate tonalamatl, or divinatory calendar; Content
With these 26 symbols, the priests were able to create horoscopes and divine the future. The first 18 pages of the codex (all that remain of the original 20) show considerably more wear than the last sections, very likely indicating that these pages were consulted more often.
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The Boturini Codex was painted by an unknown Aztec author some time between 1530 and 1541, roughly a decade after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Pictorial in nature, it tells the story of the legendary Aztec journey from Aztlán to the Valley of Mexico. Rather than employing separate pages, the author used one long sheet of amatl, or fig bark, accordion-folded into 21½ pages. There is a rip in the middle of the 22nd page, and it is unclear whether the author intended the manuscript to end at that point or not. Unlike many other Aztec codices, the drawings are not colored, but just outlined with black ink. |
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Postcortesian codex, prepared by tlacuilos by orders of Viceroy Mendoza in the year 1541 or 1542. The first page of Codex Mendoza. Glyphs for the hueyi tlatoani (Aztec emperors) circle the eagle perched on the cactus, recalling the sign given to the wandering Mexica (Aztecs) that they should found their capital Tenochtitlan at that site. Note that the eagle does not have a snake in its mouth, contrary to the most common version of the legend. The Codex Mendoza is a pictorial document, with Spanish annotations and commentary, composed circa 1541. It is divided into three sections: a history of each Aztec ruler and their conquests; a list of the tribute paid by each tributary province; and a general description of daily Aztec life. The codex is named after Antonio de Mendoza, then the viceroy of New Spain, who may have commissioned it. It is also known as the Codex Mendocino and La coleccion Mendoza, and has been held at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University since 1659. History
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The Florentine Codex is a set of 12 books created under the supervision of Bernardino de Sahagún between approximately 1540 and 1585. It is a copy of original source materials which are now lost, perhaps destroyed by the Spanish authorities who confiscated Sahagún's manuscripts. Perhaps more than any other source, the Florentine Codex has been the major source of Aztec life in the years before the Spanish conquest even though a complete copy of the codex, with all illustrations, was not published until 1979. Before then, only the censored and rewritten Spanish translation had been available.
The Florentine Codex is primarily a Nahuatl language text, written by trilingual Nahuatl, Spanish and Latin Aztec students of Sahagún. This Nahuatl text is written on the right side of the codex. Sections of this text were translated into Spanish, and written in the left column. However, many sections were not translated and some only summarized in their translation. In their place, the Florentine Codex has roughly 1,800 illustrations done by Aztec tlacuilos using European techniques. Some of the Spanish translation was censored or otherwise rewritten by Sahagún. Perhaps more than any other source, the Florentine Codex has been the major source of Aztec life in the years before the Spanish conquest even though a complete copy of the Florentine Codex, with all illustrations, was not published until 1979. Before then, only the censored and rewritten Spanish translation had been available. |
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The Codex Osuna is a set of seven separate documents created in early 1565 to present evidence against the government of Viceroy Luis de Velasco during the 1563-66 inquiry by Jerónimo de Valderrama. In this codex, indigenous leaders claim non-payment for various goods and for various services performed by their people, including building construction and domestic help. The Codex was originally solely pictorial in nature. Nahuatl descriptions and details were then entered onto the documents during its review by Spanish authorities, and a Spanish translation of the Nahuatl was added. |
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The Codex Magliabechiano was created during the mid-16th century, in the early Spanish colonial period. Based on an earlier unknown codex, the Codex Magliabechiano is primarily a religious document, depicting the 20 day-names of the tonalpohualli, the 18 monthly feasts, the 52-year cycle, various deities, indigenous religious rites, costumes, and cosmological beliefs. The Codex Magliabechi has 92 pages made from European paper, with drawings and Spanish language text on both sides of each page. It is named after Antonio Magliabechi, a 17th century Italian manuscript collector, and is presently held in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Florence, Italy. |
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The Codex Cozcatzin is a post-conquest, bound manuscript consisting of 18 sheets (36 pages) of European paper, dated 1572 although was perhaps created later than this. Largely pictorial, it has short descriptions in Spanish and Nahuatl. The first section of the codex contains a list of land granted by Itzcóatl in 1439 and is part of a complaint against Diego Mendoza. Other pages list historical and genealogical information, focused on Tlatelolco and Tenochtitlan. The final page consists of astronomical descriptions in Spanish. It named for Don Juan Luis Cozcatzin, who appears in the codex as "alcalde ordinario de esta ciudad de México" ("ordinary mayor of this city of Mexico"). The codex is presently held by the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. |
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The Codex Ixtlilxochitl is an early 17th century codex fragment detailing, among other subjects, a calendar of the annual festivals and rituals celebrated by the Aztec teocalli during the Mexican year. Each of the 18 months is represented by a god or an historical character. Written in Spanish, the Codex Ixtlilxochitl has 50 pages comprising 27 separate sheets of European paper with 29 drawings. It was derived from the same source as the Codex Magliabechiano. It was named after Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxochitl (between 1568 & 1578 - c. 1650), a member of the ruling family of Texcoco, and is held in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. link for a page by page pictorial view |
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The Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis (Latin for "Little Book of the Medicinal Herbs of the Indians") is a herbal manuscript, describing the medicinal properties of various plants used by the Aztecs. It was translated into Latin by Juan Badiano, from a Nahuatl original composed in Tlatelolco in 1552 by Martín de la Cruz that is no longer extant. The Libellus is also known as the Badianus Manuscript, after the translator; the Codex de la Cruz-Badiano, after both the original author and translator; and the Codex Barberini, after Cardinal Francesco Barberini, who had possession of the manuscript in the early 17th century. Here is a page of the Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis, an Aztec herbal composed in 1552 by Martín de la Cruz and translated into Latin by Juan Badianus, illustrating the tlahçolteoçacatl, tlayapaloni, axocotl and chicomacatl plants, which were used to make a "remedy for a wounded body" in Aztec herbalism. |
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The first section of the codex is a tonalamatl ("pages of days") and is based on the sacred 260-day calendar of Mesoamerica which in Nahuatl is termed tonalpohualli. The first 4 pairs of pages shows 65 day signs running horizontally through the middle of the pages, flanked by deity and other supernaturnal paintings. 
