Codex Mendoza

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The first page of Codex Mendoza. Glyphs for the hueyi tlatoani (Aztec emperors) circle the eagle perched on the cactus, recalling the sign given to the wandering Mexica (Aztecs) that they should found their capital Tenochtitlan at that site. Note that the eagle does not have a snake in its mouth, contrary to the most common version of the legend.
The first page of Codex Mendoza. Glyphs for the hueyi tlatoani (Aztec emperors) circle the eagle perched on the cactus, recalling the sign given to the wandering Mexica (Aztecs) that they should found their capital Tenochtitlan at that site. Note that the eagle does not have a snake in its mouth, contrary to the most common version of the legend.

The Codex Mendoza is an Aztec codex, created about twenty years after the Spanish conquest of Mexico with the intent that it be seen by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. It contains a history of the Aztec rulers and their conquests, a list of the tribute paid by the conquered, and a description of daily Aztec life, in traditional Aztec pictograms with Spanish explanations and commentary.

The codex is named after Antonio de Mendoza, then the viceroy of New Spain, who may have commissioned it. It is also known as the Codex Mendocino and La coleccion Mendoza, and has been held at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University since 1659.

Contents

[edit] History

The Codex Mendoza was hurriedly created in Mexico City, to be sent by ship to Spain. However, the fleet was attacked by French privateers, and codex along with the rest of the booty taken to France. There it came into the possession of André Thevet, French king Henry II's cosmographer, who wrote his name in five places on the codex, twice with the date 1553. It was later bought by the Englishman Richard Hakluyt for 20 French crowns. Sometime after 1616 it was passed to Samuel Purchase, then to his son, and then to John Selden. The codex was finally deposited into the Bodleian Library at Oxford University in 1659, 5 years after Selden's death, where it remained in obscurity until 1831, when it was rediscovered by Viscount Kingsborough and brought to the attention of scholars.

[edit] Content

Written on European paper, it contains 71 pages, divided in three sections:

  • Section I, 16 pages, is a history of the Aztec people from 1325 through 1521 — from the founding of Tenochtitlan through the Spanish conquest. It lists the reign of each ruler and the towns conquered by them.
  • Section II, 39 pages, provides a list of the towns conquered by the Triple Alliance and the tributes paid by each.
  • Section III, 16 pages, is a pictorial depiction of the daily life of the Aztecs.

[edit] Section I

[edit] Gallery

Folio 2 recto
Founding of Tenochtitlan.

Folio 4 verso
Conquests of Chimalpopoca.

Folio 5 verso
Conquests of Itzcoatl.

Folio 10 recto
Conquests of Axayacatl.

Folio 13 recto
Conquests of Ahuitzotl.

[edit] Section II

[edit] Gallery

Folio 17 verso

Folio 20 recto

Folio 37 recto

Folio 43 recto

Folio 46 recto

Folio 47 recto

Folio 52 recto

[edit] Section III

[edit] Gallery

Folio 60 recto
Punishments and chores of children, ages 11 to 14.

Folio 61 recto
(top) 15-year-old boys beginning training in the military or the priesthood.
(bottom) A 15-year-old girl gets married.

Folio 64 recto
(top) Duties of novice priests.
(bottom) Ranks awarded to warriors.

Folio 65 recto
(top) Ranks award to priest-warriors.
(bottom) Imperial officers.

Folio 67 recto
(top) Warriors scout a town at night in preparation for an attack.
(middle) Negotiations after surrender.
(bottom) High-ranking commanders.

Folio 69 recto
Moctezuma's palace.

[edit] References

  • Berdan, Frances F.; Anawalt, Patricia Rieff (1997). The Essential Codex Mendoza. University of California Press. 9780520204546. 
  • Ross, Kurt (1978). Codex Mendoza: Aztec Manuscript. 

[edit] External links

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