Maya codex writing tradition

Timeline

1. c. 300–900Maya lowlands · Petén DepartmentClassic period city-state courts developed systematic codex-making techniques, recording the Long Count, Venus cycle, ritual calendar, and dynastic lineages in folding screen-style books; the scribe class held high status.
2. c. 1001–1010Yucatán Peninsula · Yucatán StateAfter the collapse of Classic period city-states, codex-writing centers shifted to Postclassic city-states in Yucatán, where priests continued to produce and update calendar codices, sustaining the knowledge system of astronomical predictions and ritual schedules.
3. c. 1200–1562Mesoamerica · MesoamericaOnly a few codices survive to this day, such as the Dresden, Madrid, and Paris codices; in the 16th century Spanish authorities destroyed Maya books on a large scale in events such as the book burning at Maní, and the tradition was nearly extinguished.