Mesoamerican codex tradition

Timeline

1. 600–1200Mesoamerica · MesoamericaMaya and central Mexican civilizations developed painted codices presented in accordion-folded or screen-page forms, recording astronomical calendars, religious rituals, and political history using hieroglyphic and ideographic symbol systems.
2. 1325–1461Valley of Mexico · Valley of MexicoThe Aztec Empire established a professional codex production system, carried out by priests and painters (tlacuilo) versed in calendars and pictography. Codices recorded tribute lists, city-state boundaries, royal lineages, and ritual calendars.
3. 1461–1470Tenochtitlan · Valley of MexicoDuring this decade the empire continued to use codices to manage its increasingly vast tribute and vassal networks. Court and temple codices recorded tribute lists of newly conquered city-states, ritual schedules, and rulers' lineages, serving as important tools of imperial administration.
4. 1519–1521Tenochtitlan · Valley of MexicoSpanish conquerors, in the spirit of the Inquisition, burned pre-Columbian codices on a massive scale, believing they contained pagan content. According to records, only a very few codices were secretly preserved or ended up overseas, and the traditional craft was thereby interrupted.