Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

4th c. 5th c. 6th c. 7th c. 8th c. 9th c. 10th c. 11th c. 12th c. 13th c. 14th c. 15th c. 16th c. 17th c. 18th c. 19th c. 20th c. 21st c.
Sixteenth to eighteenth
century pictographs from
the ‘Maps, drawings and
illustrations’ of the National
Archives of Mexico
Inscribed 2011
What are they
A collection of maps, documents, drawings and
illustrations from the 16th to the 18th centuries that
contain data characterized by the use of pre-Hispanic
graphic style and symbolism.
Why were they inscribed
Their importance lies in being the main written evidence
that carried on the tradition of painting, testimonial and
narrative of pre-Hispanic times. Their originality reflects
the enormous creative power of the Indian peoples
against colonialism.
Where are they
Archivo General de la Nación, Mexico City, Mexico
The 323 maps, drawings and illustrations in this collection
date from after the Spanish conquest of Mexico under
Hernán Cortés between 1519 and 1521, but they still
show a ‘distinctly Indian style or Indian influence’. They
include representations and pre-Hispanic glyphs that
are evidence of enormous wealth, deep symbolism and
meaning and continue to be the subject of comprehensive
study. These documents constitute a rich and original
culture that provide graphic evidence to help understand
the pre-Hispanic cultures in Central America and the
permanence of their legacy during and after Spanish
colonization. In that sense they constitute the historical
memory that survived European settlement in America and
left a legacy of multi-ethnicity in Mexico.
Among the documents in the collection are traditional
illustrated codices and genealogies from the 16th and
17th centuries, which include drawings of human figures,
both of traditional pre-Hispanic peoples and of the new
Spanish settlers, with the illustrators trying to adapt their
style to reproduce Spanish clothing. There are many maps
and town plans in the collection. Some are quick sketches
to identify the general location of particular places while
� � A selection
of the extraordinary
collection
of Mexican
pictographs that
show the adaptation
of traditional forms
of Aztec illustration
and mapping to meet the needs of the new Spanish rulers.
others are detailed coloured drawings, many produced
to establish land ownership. Nearly all of them feature
decorations which show the influence of pre-Hispanic
illustration styles and clearly differentiate them from
European maps of the time. The collection also includes tax
documents and Inquisition documents – the Holy Office
of the Inquisition was established at the formation of New
Spain in 1522 and Indians were subject to it for a short
period up to 1542; some of its cases relating to polygamy
and idolatry featured graphic material of pre-Hispanic
origin and these rare cases are included in the collection.
The original documents are very fragile, having been
prepared on a variety of materials, including cotton
paper, cloth and other natural fibres made into paper
and use inks and natural dyes that are sensitive to light.
There is a continuing programme to make digital images
available through the National Archives website of these
outstanding pictographs so that their beauty and great
intrinsic value can be more widely appreciated.
168 Sixteenth to eighteenth century pictographs from ‘Maps, drawings and illustrations’ Archives of Mexico