Tue Oct 01 04:11:34 UTC 2024: ## Aztec Codices Offer Glimpse into Pre-Columbian Culture

**Mexico City** – A collection of ancient books known as Aztec codices are providing invaluable insights into the culture and history of the Aztec civilization. These hand-written documents, created before and after the Spanish conquest, serve as primary sources for understanding this fascinating pre-Columbian society.

Pre-conquest codices are primarily pictorial, utilizing images to convey narratives and information. While few survive today, they offer a unique visual language distinct from European codices. Colonial-era codices, however, blend Aztec pictograms with Classical Nahuatl, Spanish, and even Latin, reflecting the cultural fusion of the time.

**Notable Codices:**

* **Codex Borbonicus:** A pictorial codex created by Aztec priests around the time of the Spanish conquest, divided into sections focusing on Aztec rituals, calendars, and gods.
* **Boturini Codex:** Depicts the legendary Aztec journey from Aztlán to the Valley of Mexico, utilizing a long sheet of fig bark folded into pages.
* **Codex Mendoza:** A pictorial document with Spanish annotations, encompassing Aztec history, tribute systems, and daily life.
* **Florentine Codex:** A comprehensive collection of 12 books, compiled by Bernardino de Sahagún, documenting various aspects of Aztec life before the conquest.
* **Codex Osuna:** A series of documents created in 1565, highlighting grievances of indigenous leaders against the Spanish Viceroy, showcasing their contributions to building and domestic services.
* **Aubin Codex:** A pictorial history of the Aztecs, encompassing their origins, the Spanish conquest, and the early colonial period.
* **Codex Magliabechiano:** Primarily a religious document, depicting Aztec deities, rituals, and cosmology.
* **Codex Cozcatzin:** A post-conquest manuscript containing land grants, genealogical information, and astronomical descriptions.
* **Codex Ixtlilxochitl:** A fragment detailing the calendar of Aztec festivals and rituals celebrated throughout the year.
* **Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis (Badianus Manuscript):** A herbal manuscript describing medicinal plants used by the Aztecs, translated into Latin by Juan Badiano.

These codices are housed in various institutions worldwide, including the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, the British Museum, and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. They provide a rich and diverse body of knowledge, allowing us to learn about the Aztec civilization’s beliefs, practices, and history.

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