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Aztec Codex

Type Object Region Mesoamerica Time c. 1300–1521

Aztec codices are pictographic picture-books on amatl bark paper or deer hide recording calendars, tribute, genealogies, myths, and historical events…

Timeline

  1. c. 1325–1400Tenochtitlan · MexicoAfter the Mexica founded their city, tlacuilo workshops were set up in temples and schools, recording foundation myths, calendars, and early genealogies in codices to transmit Mexica historical memory.
  2. c. 1401–1410Tenochtitlan court and priestly district · Valley of MexicoDuring the vassal period, codex uses expanded to tribute lists, vassal relations, and military levy records, becoming indispensable pictographic archives for administration.
  3. 1428–1519Aztec-controlled Mesoamerica · MexicoCodex production reached its peak during the Triple Alliance period, covering provincial tribute, histories of conquest, and religious rites; documents later known as the Codex Mendoza derive from this tradition.

Sources