Detail of first page from the Boturini Codex, depicting the departure from Aztlán.

Aztec codices (singular codex) are books written by pre-Columbian and Spanish colonial era Aztecs. These codices provide some of the best primary sources for Aztec culture. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (800x800, 378 KB) The Mexica depart from Aztlán. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (800x800, 378 KB) The Mexica depart from Aztlán. ... The seven caves of Chicomoztoc, from Historia Tolteca-Chichimeca Aztlán (, from Nahuatl Aztlan ) is the legendary ancestral home of the Nahua peoples, one of the main cultural groups in Mesoamerica. ... First page of the Codex Argenteus A codex (Latin for block of wood, book; plural codices) is a handwritten book, in general, one produced from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages. ... A chained book in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University A Chinese bamboo book, in a collection at the University of California, Riverside. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Aztecs is a collective term used for all of the Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican peoples under the control of the Mexica, founders of Tenochtitlan, and their two principal allies, who built an extensive empire in the late Postclassic period in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries in Central Mexico. ...

The pre-Columbian codices differ from European codices in that they are largely pictorial; they were not meant to symbolize spoken or written narratives.^[1] The colonial era codices not only contain Aztec pictograms, but also Classical Nahuatl (in the Latin alphabet), Spanish, and occasionally Latin. Classical Nahuatl (also known as Aztec, and simply Nahuatl) is a term used to describe the variants of the Nahuatl language that were spoken in the Valley of Mexico — and central Mexico as a lingua franca — at the time of the 16th-century Spanish conquest of Mexico. ... The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world today. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

Although there are very few surviving pre-conquest codices, the tlacuilo (codex painter) tradition endured the transition to colonial culture; scholars now have access to a body of around 500 colonial-era codices.

Codex Borbonicus

Page 13 of the Codex Borbonicus.

Main article: Codex Borbonicus

The Codex Borbonicus is a codex written by Aztec priests shortly before or after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Like all pre-Columbian codices, it was originally entirely pictorial in nature, although some Spanish descriptions were later added. It can be divided into three sections: The original page 13 of the Codex Borbonicus, showing the 13th trecena of the Aztec sacred calendar. ... Aztec empire The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of America. ...

1. An intricate tonalamatl, or divinatory calendar;
2. A documentation of the Mesoamerican 52 year cycle, showing in order the dates of the first days of each of these 52 solar years; and
3. A section of rituals and ceremonies, particularly those that end the 52 year cycle, when the "new fire" must be lit.

The original page 13 of the Codex Borbonicus, showing the 13th trecena of the Aztec sacred calendar. ... The Aztec glyph for a New Fire ceremony, with the year Two Reed (Ome Acatl). ...

Boturini Codex

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. Aztec empire The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of America. ... The seven caves of Chicomoztoc, from Historia Tolteca-Chichimeca Aztlán (, from Nahuatl Aztlan ) is the legendary ancestral home of the Nahua peoples, one of the main cultural groups in Mesoamerica. ... The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of Estado de 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 rather merely outlined with black ink. Part of the Huexotzinco Codex, printed on amatl Amatl (from the Nahuatl paper) or Amate (Spanish) is a type of paper developed in Pre-Columbian Maya civilization. ...

Also known as “Tira de la Peregrinación” ("The Strip Showing the Travels"), it is named after one of its first European owners, Lorenzo Boturini Bernaducci (1702 – 1751).

Codex Mendoza

Part of the first page of Codex Mendoza, depicting the founding of Tenochtitlan.

Main article: Codex Mendoza

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. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (622x735, 157 KB) First page of the Codez Mendoza representing the Foundation of Tenochtitlan Postcortesian codex, prepared by tlacuilos by orders of Viceroy Mendoza int the year 1541 or 1542. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (622x735, 157 KB) First page of the Codez Mendoza representing the Foundation of Tenochtitlan Postcortesian codex, prepared by tlacuilos by orders of Viceroy Mendoza int the year 1541 or 1542. ... Tenochtitlan, looking east. ... The first page of Codex Mendoza. ... Events The first official translation of the entire Bible in Swedish February 12 - Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile. ...

Florentine Codex

Main article: Florentine Codex

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. Page 51 of Book IX from the Florentine Codex. ... Bernardino de Sahagún (1499-1590) was a Franciscan missionary to the Aztec (Náhua) people of Mexico. ... Year 1540 was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... 1585 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. ... Aztec empire The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of America. ...

Codex Osuna

Section of page 34 of Codex Osuna showing the glyphs for Texcoco, Tenochtitlan, and Tlacopán.

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. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (838x535, 82 KB) Middle section of page 34 of Codex Osuna, from 1565, showing the pictorial symbols for Texcoco, Tenochtitlan (Mexico), and Tlacopán. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (838x535, 82 KB) Middle section of page 34 of Codex Osuna, from 1565, showing the pictorial symbols for Texcoco, Tenochtitlan (Mexico), and Tlacopán. ... Texcoco was a major site and city-state in the central Mexican plateau region of Mesoamerica during the Late Postclassic period of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican chronology. ... Tenochtitlan, looking east. ... Tlacopán (meaning florid plant on flat ground) also called Tacuba, was a Mesoamerican city-state of the prehispanic age, situated on the western shore of Lake Texcoco. ... Luis de Velasco (b. ...

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.

Codex Magliabechiano

Reverse of folio 11 of the Codex Magliabechiano, showing the day signs Flint (knife), Rain, Flower, and Crocodile.

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 Tonalpohualli,the day-count in English, is the 260 day sacred calendar of early Mesoamericans. ...

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. Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ...

Aubin Codex

The Aubin Codex is a pictorial history of the Aztecs from their departure from Aztlán through the Spanish conquest to the early Spanish colonial period, ending in 1607. Consisting of 81 leaves, it was most likely begun in 1576, it is possible that Fray Diego Durán supervised its preparation, since it was published in 1867 as Historia de las Indias de Nueva-España y isles de Tierra Firme, listing Durán as the author. Aztec empire The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of America. ... Diego Durán (c. ...

Among other topics, the Aubin Codex has a native description of the massacre at the temple in Tenochtitlan in 1520. The massacre in the Main Temple of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán is an episode in the Spanish conquest of Mexico which occurred on May 10, 1520. ...

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. The new buildings of the library. ... Princeton University is a coeducational private university located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States of America. ... The original page 13 of the Codex Borbonicus, showing the 13th trecena of the Aztec sacred calendar. ...

Codex Cozcatzin

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. Itzcóatl was the leader of the Tenochcas or Aztec from 1427/1428 to 1440. ... Tlaltelolco is an area in Mexico City, centered on the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, a square surrounded on three sides by an excavated Aztec pyramid, the 17th century church Templo de Santiago, and the modern office complex of the Mexican foreign ministry. ... Tenochtitlan, looking east. ...

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.

Codex Ixtlilxochitl

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. Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxochitl (1568?-1648). ... Texcoco was a major site and city-state in the central Mexican plateau region of Mesoamerica during the Late Postclassic period of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican chronology. ...

Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis

A page of the Libellus illustrating the tlahçolteoçacatl, tlayapaloni, axocotl and chicomacatl plants.

Main article: Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis

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. A page of the Libellus illustrating the tlahçolteoçacatl, tlayapaloni, axocotl and chicomacatl plants, used to make a remedy for lÄ™sum & male tractatum corpus, injured and badly treated body. The Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis (Latin for Little Book of the Medicinal Herbs of the Indians) is an... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Dioscorides’ Materia Medica, c. ... Nahuatl ( [1] is a term applied to a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan [2] branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, indigenous to central Mexico. ... Tlaltelolco is an area in Mexico City, centered on the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, a square surrounded on three sides by an excavated Aztec pyramid, the 17th century church Templo de Santiago, and the modern office complex of the Mexican foreign ministry. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the Roman Catholic Church, a member of the College of Cardinals which as a body elects a new pope. ... Francesco Barberini seniore (September 23, 1597 - December 10, 1679) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, a member of the powerful Barberini family. ...

Other codices

• Codex Borgia - pre-Hispanic ritual codex
• Codex Fejérváry-Mayer - pre-Hispanic calendar codex
• Codex Telleriano-Remensis - calendar, divinitory almanac and history of the Aztec people
• Ramirez Codex - a history by Juan de Tovar
• Unos Anales Históricos de la Nación Mexicana - a history
• Durán Codex - a history by Diego Durán
• Codex Xolotl - a pictorial codex recounting the history of the Valley of Mexico, and Texcoco in particular, from Xolotl's arrival in the Valley to the defeat of Azcapotzalco in 1428.
• Codex Azcatitlan

Quetzalcoatl in human form, using the symbols of Ehecatl, from the Codex Borgia. ... First page of the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer The Codex Fejérváry-Mayer is an Aztec Codex of central Mexico. ... Conquistador Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán as depicted in 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. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Unos Anales Históricos de la Nación Mexicana (Some Historical Annals of the Mexican Nation) is a manuscript written in language, using Latin characters, by anonymous Aztec authors in 1528 in Tlatelolco, only seven years after the fall of the Aztec Empire. ... Diego Durán (c. ... Diego Durán (c. ... The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of Estado de Mexico. ... Texcoco was a major site and city-state in the central Mexican plateau region of Mesoamerica during the Late Postclassic period of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican chronology. ... Azcapotzalco (Place of the ants in Nahuatl) is one of the 16 delegaciones (boroughs) into which Mexicos Federal District is divided. ...

See also

• Maya codices

Maya codices (singular codex) are books written by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, using the Maya hieroglyphic script. ...

References

External links

• Gallery of Aztec gods as shown on various Mesoamerican codices, on Wikipedia Commons
• Description and photos of the first pages of the Boturini Codex
• Detailed interpretation, with annotated photos, of the last pages of the Boturini Codex
• Page-by-page views of Codex Ixtlilxochitl