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Maya codex

Type Object Region Worldwide Time c. 400

Maya codices are pictorial books folded into screen form from amate bark paper or deerskin, recording calendrical calculations, ritual procedures, my…

Timeline

  1. c. 400–900Maya Lowlands · Petén DepartmentClassic-period Maya priests and scribes recorded astronomical tables and ritual knowledge on folding screen books with hieroglyphs and images side by side; codices were strictly controlled by the elite.
  2. c. 1000–1200Chichén Itzá · Yucatán StateAround the 11th century Maya codex production remained very active; works such as the Dresden Codex centered on Venus cycles, solar and lunar eclipses, and ritual calendar tables, serving divination and sacrificial practice.
  3. c. 1520–1570Maní · Yucatán StateSpanish colonial authorities ordered large numbers of Maya books burned at Maní and elsewhere, causing pre-Columbian codices to nearly vanish, with only a very few carried to Europe for preservation.
  4. 1800Dresden · DresdenThe three ancient codices in Dresden, Madrid, and Paris have become key artifacts for deciphering Maya astronomical and ritual knowledge, with contemporary scholars advancing research through digitization and decipherment.

Sources