Maya codices

Maya codices
Name	Maya codices
Caption	A page from the Dresden Codex showing a section on Venus
Type	Screenfold books
Date	Postclassic to early colonial era
Place of origin	Maya civilization
Language(s)	Classical Maya language
Material	Amate paper, gesso, organic pigments
Discovered	Various locations in Mexico and Europe

Maya codices. These are folding books created by scribes of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization and its descendants in the early colonial period. Written in Classical Maya language using Maya script, they constitute a primary source for understanding Mesoamerican astronomy, religion, and ritual calendar systems. Only four incontestably pre-Columbian examples are known to have survived the ravages of time and the Spanish conquest of the Maya.

Overview

The creation of these manuscripts was the domain of elite scribes, often members of the royal court or priesthood, who were known as *aj tz'ib*. They recorded a vast corpus of knowledge central to Maya civilization, functioning as essential guides for rituals and cosmological understanding. The vast majority were systematically destroyed during the 16th century by Franciscan missionaries, most notably Diego de Landa during the auto-da-fé at Maní in 1562. This destruction makes the surviving fragments invaluable for reconstructing aspects of Mesoamerican mythology and intellectual traditions that were otherwise lost.

Surviving codices

Only four manuscripts are universally accepted as authentic pre-Columbian works. The Dresden Codex, housed in the Sächsische Landesbibliothek in Germany, is considered the most complete and artistically sophisticated, containing detailed astronomical tables. The Madrid Codex, held by the Museo de América in Madrid, is the longest and focuses extensively on divinatory almanacs and daily life rituals. The Paris Codex resides in the Bibliothèque nationale de France and includes prophecies for k'atun periods and depictions of constellations. The Grolier Codex, controversially authenticated later and kept at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, is a fragmentary Venus almanac. Other potential fragments, like the Codex Maya of Mexico, continue to be studied.

Content and significance

The content is predominantly ritual and esoteric, serving as handbooks for priests. A major focus is intricate calendrical calculations, including the 260-day Tzolk'in, the 365-day Haab', and the cycles of celestial bodies like Venus and Mars. These tables were used to schedule ceremonies, agricultural activities, and warfare. The books also contain mythological narratives, depictions of deities like Chaac and K'awiil, and protocols for rites including bloodletting and incense burning. Their decipherment, advanced by scholars like Yuri Knorozov and David Stuart, has been crucial for understanding Maya mathematics and their complex Long Count system.

Materials and construction

They were constructed as long, continuous strips of amate paper, made from the inner bark of the fig tree, which was coated with a thin layer of gesso to create a smooth white writing surface. The strip was folded in a concertina or screenfold fashion to create pages, with wooden covers sometimes added. Scribes used fine brushes to apply pigments derived from organic and mineral sources, including Maya blue, cinnabar red, and carbon black. The glyphs and illustrations were painted in a precise, formal style, with red guide lines often visible beneath the final work, demonstrating a highly standardized scribal tradition.

History of discovery and preservation

The surviving codices surfaced in European collections centuries after the Spanish conquest. The Dresden Codex was sent to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and later purchased from a private collection in Vienna for the Saxon State Library. The Madrid Codex was found divided into two parts, later recognized as one manuscript in the 1880s by scholar Léon de Rosny. The Paris Codex was identified in 1859 in a basket of old papers in the Bibliothèque Impériale. The Grolier Codex was revealed in the 1970s, associated with collector Josué Sáenz, and its authenticity was confirmed through rigorous analysis involving radiocarbon dating and studies of its iconography. Modern preservation efforts are led by institutions like the Museo de América and the Getty Conservation Institute.

Cultural and historical context

These manuscripts represent the pinnacle of a long indigenous literary tradition that flourished during the Postclassic period, particularly in Yucatán centers like Mayapan. They are products of a society with a profound investment in cyclical time and celestial observation. Their creation continued into the early colonial era, as seen in hybrid works like the Books of Chilam Balam, which adapted the native format to a Latin script alphabet. The codices stand as a testament to the intellectual achievements of the Maya civilization, complementing the historical narratives found on monuments at sites like Palenque, Copán, and Tikal.

Category:Maya manuscripts Category:Pre-Columbian codices Category:Mesoamerican literature