Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Collection of Mexican codices
Inscribed 1997
What is it
The collection comprises one pre-Hispanic codex, ninetytwo
colonial originals and sixty-eight period facsimiles
from original sources of pre-Colonial Mesoamerica.
Why was it inscribed
These pictorial documents or codices are the only
surviving examples of the pre-Hispanic reading and
writing system peculiar to the cultures of Mesoamerica.
They constitute the only original sources of the
early relations between the native peoples and the
Spanish incomers.
Where is it
Biblioteca Nacional de Antropología e Historia del INAH,
Mexico City, Mexico
The Colección de Códices Originales Mexicanos is a set of
161 documents which together comprise the writings of
the native cultures that existed in Mesoamerica before the
arrival of the Spanish from the late-15th century onwards.
The codices offer insights into the social, economic, political,
religious and cultural organization of the pre-Hispanic
peoples. They also reveal how two such different cultures
as the Mesoamerican and the Spanish came to terms
with one another; the fate of the human groups involved
in the processes of conquest and colonization; and how
the relationship between the two developed from one
of domination to a different type of relationship based
on coalition.
The pre-Hispanic books use an iconographic writing system
developed by scribes known as tlacuilos, although the system
and images used make the codices difficult documents
to interpret and decode. Some of the individual pictorial
manuscripts cover a wide range of subjects, so definitive
classification of the titles in the collection is challenging.
However, broad thematic groups can be outlined.
There are various types of historical material: genealogical,
which gives detailed information on important pre-
Hispanic figures and aristocratic dynasties; annals and
chronicles from the 16th century; and ritual–calendric which
detail not only calendars but also religious, mythical and
historical matters, also from the 16th century.
172 Collection of Mexican codices
Some 16th-century cartographic codices also include
historical and genealogical information, while others
are simply maps. The partial map of the Aztec capital
Tenochtitlan outlines urban planning, land ownership
and land census information. Genealogical documents
from colonial times were drawn up to defend inheritance
rights in lawsuits, and these date from the 16th through
to the early 18th centuries. Other documents relate to land
ownership and there are lists of taxes that were payable
both before and after the Spanish conquest.
The Chilam Balam books from the 18th century contain
historic, calendric, botanical and medical information,
almanacs and prophesies, and are written in the Mayan
language of Yucatán. Earlier religious books from the
16th century which were used in converting and teaching
the local people Christianity include catechisms and a
prayer book. Botanical and medical documents dating