Aztec Featherwork and Codices

Timeline

1. 1300–1427Tenochtitlan · Valley of MexicoThe Mexica city-state established a guild of specialized featherworkers (amanteca), using tribute feathers from the tropical lowlands and local paper to paint early codices, serving temple sacrifices and noble ceremonies.
2. 1431–1440Tenochtitlan's Great Temple and royal palace · Valley of MexicoDuring Triple Alliance expansion, court workshops mass-produced feathered shields and priestly garments, while codex painters recorded wars, tribute lists, and calendrical sacrifices, becoming core objects of imperial ideology and diplomatic gifts.
3. 1519–1521Tenochtitlan · Valley of MexicoSpanish conquerors burned many Aztec codices; only a few, such as the Codex Mendoza, survived through colonial-era transcription; featherwork masterpieces were scattered or entered European collections, and fragments excavated at the Great Temple are now the main material source for research.