Mayan
Codices
Image from the Dresden CodexThe Maya kept records of their beliefs, history, astronomy
and calendrics in special books that are now known as codices.
They were screen-folded manuscripts made out of long strips of
paper which was then folded in accordion style.
Today we are left with only four of these codices, one of which
is still being debated on its authenticity.
The codices are named after the place where they are being kept,
except for the Grolier Codex of which it's uncertain what its
exact location is: Paris, Dresden, Madrid.
For many years it was believed that the paper they used was
made out of maguey fiber, but in 1910, R. Schwede determined that
it was made out of the inner bark of a fig tree (Ficus cotonifolia,
Ficus padifolia). The bark was beaten into pulp with stone implements.
Natural gums were used as a bonding substance that held the pulp
together. The surface of the paper was coated with lime or a lime-like
coating, which made it possible to write on it with ink. The black
ink was carbon-black from soot, reds were made from hematite (iron
oxide), and lovely bright blues, greens and yellows were also
present.
Fragment of Dresden CodexThe
Dresden Codex
This Codex mysteriously turned up in Dresden in 1739 and was
purchased by Johann Christian Goetze. In 1744 Goetze gave it to
the Sächsische Landesbibliothek, where it still resides.
It is estimated that it was written around A.D. 1200-1250 and
contains 74 pages painted with a very fine brush. The basic colours
that were used were: red, black and blue. It contains astronomical
calculations, almanacs and day counts for worship and prophecies.
The Paris Codex
The Paris Codex had been in the Bibliothèque Nationale
since the 1830's, but for some reason it was forgotten
and stacked away in a basket of old papers wrapped in a piece.
It was León de Rosny who rediscovered it in 1859. The piece
that survives contains 22 screen-folded pages with information
on calendrical cycles, gods, spirits, history, weather and astronomy.
Originally the codex was painted in many colours (black, red,
turquoise, blue, tawny and pink) with the outline of the hieroglyphs
and figures painted in black. The codex measured 12.5 mm by 23.5mm.
The Madrid Codex
The Madrix codex consists of two manuscripts that were first
known as the Codex Troana and the Codex Cortesianus. The two parts
were reunited in 1892 and are now called the Madrid Codex since
the original is preserved in the Museo de Americás in Madrid.
However it is also known under the name Codex Tro-Cortesianus.
The pages contain information of the almanac that was used by
priests to perform divination rites for daily life activities
such as hunting, weaving and agriculture.
The four horizontal rows in the lower part of each page contains
the 20 name glyphs of the 260-day calendar or Tzolkin.
The Grolier Codex
Unlike the first three Codices, the exact location of this
document is unknown. It is called after the Grolier Club in New
York City, where a fragment of the codex was shown to Michael
Coe, who writes about it in his book: "Breaking the Maya
Code" (Thames and Hudson, 1992). It is said to have been
found in a dry cave in Mexico, where it was purchased by a Mexican
collecter, Dr. José Sainz in 1965.
It consist of eleven pages and lie the Dresden Codex, it also
contains descriptions of the movement of Venus.
According to radiocarbon dating it is written about A.D. 1230.
Resources:
The
Dresden Codex
The
Ancient Maya Codices - Famsi
Maya
Codices - Realms of the Sacred in daily
life
The
Paris Codex - Northwestern University
Library
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Featured January 9 , 2008
