Mythological and historical events of a lost world: one of the most beautiful and detailed Mixtec manuscripts
Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus 1
Mexico

Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus 1
Mexico
A pre-Columbian masterpiece with a total length of 13.5 meters
In addition to a ritual calendar, a family tree of the Mixtec dynasty with dated events included
A description of the deities worshiped there is also included
Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus 1
Short Description
Pre-Columbian manuscripts are among the rarest hand-written documents to exist today, and some of the most coveted for their historic as well as artistic value. They offer a glimpse into a world now forever lost, whose civilizations were devastated by disease and who culture was lost in the frenzy of conquest and Christianization. Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus 1 is one of the most beautiful and most highly detailed Mixtec manuscripts, which not only depicts mythological events but moreover, an entire historical background of information.
Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus 1
One of the most beautiful and most highly detailed Mixtec manuscripts with an undisputed historical documentation has been in the possession of the Austrian National Library in Vienna (formerly k.k. Hofmuseum) since the year 1677: Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus 1. Contained on 52 folding pages are colorful pictograms which depict not only mythological events but moreover an entire historical background of information. In the formal structure as well as in stylistic and content aspects, the front and back section of the manuscript clearly differ from one another. The front section contains boustrophedonic vertical columns strung together pictograms which are precisely designed. With regard to content, genealogical and mythological themes (i.e. the birth of the Gods in mythological antiquity) are presented. The content of the horizontally structured back section of the manuscript deals with the description of historical facts (family tree of the Mixtecan dynasty with a dated citation). Altogether, it offers a fascinating look into the religious beliefs, historical circumstances, ritual conventions, and usages of an ancient Indian culture.
Codicology
- Size / Format
- 65 pages / 26.5 x 22.0 cm (total length: 13.5 metres)
- Origin
- Mexico
- Epochs
- Style
1 available facsimile edition(s) of „Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus 1“
Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus 1
- Publisher
- Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Graz, 1974
- Binding
- Screenfold-facsimile and commentary volume encased in box with leather spine.
- Commentary
-
1 volume (44 pages) by O. Adelhofer
Language: English
O. Adelhofer, Vienna, 44 pp. (history of the manuscript, bibliography). - More Information
- Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
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