Explore the most valuable and significant pre-Hispanic manuscripts, offering a unique window into ancient Mesoamerican civilizations. These historical documents, such as those from the Borgia Group, are crucial for understanding the worldview, history, and rituals of cultures like the Aztec and Mixtec. Each codex is a work of art and an invaluable record of indigenous memories from before the arrival of Europeans. Delve into the study of these bibliographic treasures that continue to reveal secrets of the past.
Vividly illustrated pages
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This codex is an Aztec manuscript from central Mexico that stands out as one of the rare Native American codices to survive the Spanish conquest. Its content focuses on the sacred Aztec calendar, the tonalpohualli, providing essential insight into pre-Hispanic cosmology and religious practices.
Provides knowledge on pre-conquest indigenous religion
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The Codex Borgia is considered by many scholars to be the finest extant Mexican codex and a crucial original source for the study of pre-Columbian religion. Its visual and symbolic content provides essential insights into the worldview, rituals, and divination of Central Mexican cultures.
One of the most important written records on Mixtec history
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This codex is a fundamental written record for understanding Mixtec culture, narrating the history of its dynasties and main centers. Its value lies in being an extremely rare pre-Columbian pictographic source detailing the history, art, and religion of pre-colonial Mesoamerica.
Considered the most important surviving codex
The Dresden Codex contains astonishingly accurate astronomical tables, including detailed Venus tables and lunar series correlating with eclipses. This manuscript is a crucial primary source for understanding the sophisticated cosmology and mathematical knowledge of the Mayan civilization.
One of only three surviving original Maya codices
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The Madrid Codex is an exceptional primary source of information on the Maya civilization, detailing crucial aspects of their astronomy, mythology, and daily life. Its 112-page length makes it the longest of the known Maya codices, providing a wealth of data on rituals, agriculture, and astrological predictions.
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One of three surviving pre-Columbian Maya books
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This codex is an exceptionally well-preserved pre-Hispanic Mayan document, offering profound insight into the rituals, ceremonies, and astronomical knowledge of the Mayan civilization. Its content, focused on k'atun cycles and astronomical signs, provides crucial information for understanding the worldview and divinatory practices of this ancient culture.
One of only 4 known extant Maya codices
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This codex is the oldest known Maya manuscript and the only one still residing in the Americas, underscoring its cultural and archaeological significance. Its content provides a unique window into the religious and astronomical practices of the Maya civilization, including an eclipse table. The confirmation of its authenticity in 2017 solidified its status as a fundamental historical document.
One of the most beautiful Mixtec manuscripts
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This codex is an invaluable testament to Mixtec culture, recording the genealogy of Tilantongo's rulers and mythological events. Its exceptional state of preservation and the richness of its illustrations make it a fundamental primary source for the study of pre-Hispanic history and beliefs. It is a pictorial document of great beauty and detail, offering a unique window into a lost world.
Presents painted scenes of a significant Mixtec warrior and ruler
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This codex is an invaluable primary source for the study of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican history, providing a detailed record of the life and conquests of the Mixtec ruler Eight Deer Jaguar Claw. Its historical and pictorial content offers a unique window into the political, social, and cultural organization of the Mixtec civilization.
Recognized as one of the most important ancient Mexican manuscripts
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The Codex Bodley is a fundamental Mixtec pictographic manuscript that offers invaluable insight into the historiography and genealogy of Oaxaca's ruling families. Its creation in the early 16th century, just before the Spanish conquest, makes it an essential primary source for understanding the pre-Hispanic culture and history of the region.
One of six surviving pre-Hispanic Mixtec codices
The Codex Selden is a crucial pre-Hispanic Mixtec manuscript that documents the genealogy of the Jaltepec dynasty from the tenth to the 16th century. Its survival of the Spanish conquest makes it an invaluable source for the study of ancient Mixtec history and culture.
Mesoamerican divinatory book
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The Codex Borbonicus is an Aztec pictorial manuscript of immense historical and religious value, created by Mexica priests. Its content offers profound insight into Nahua calendrical constructions, deities, and ritual practices, serving as a direct testament to pre-Hispanic culture.
This codex is a fundamental pre-Hispanic manuscript documenting the Tonalpohualli, the 260-day ritual calendar, offering invaluable insight into Nahua religious and divinatory practices. Its pictorial content and screenfold format on amate make it an exceptional piece for the study of Mesoamerican cosmology and writing.
This codex is an essential primary source for the study of the Aztec Empire, detailing the tribute system that sustained its power and wealth. Its value lies in the pictorial and textual information it offers on Mexica economic and social organization, serving as a direct testimony of imperial administration. It was painted by Mexica scribes, maintaining the ancient pictorial format, which makes it a document of great cultural and historical authenticity.
Depicts the migration of the Mexica people
This codex is an essential primary source for understanding the foundational history of the Mexica people, detailing their epic migration from Aztlan. Its value lies in the visual and symbolic narration of the origins and journey of one of Mesoamerica's most influential civilizations.
The methodology for this ranking is based on the historical and cultural relevance of pre-Hispanic codices, considering their contribution to the understanding of Mesoamerican civilizations. The uniqueness of their content and their state of preservation are highly valued.