Thread by @Fall_of_Civ_Pod

A thread on some of the most amazing examples of art in the Aztec codices.

These were illustrated books written by the indigenous people of Mexico both before and after contact with Europeans, and contain incredible glimpses into their lives, their memories, and their beliefs.

The Aztec codices were books written on deer skin or bark paper. The Aztecs had vast libraries, but after the Spanish conquest of the city of Tenochtitlan in 1521, all of these libraries were destroyed.

Only 16 pre-contact codices have survived.

Folio 65r of the Codex Mendoza, an Aztec codex from c.1541.

This page shows how an Aztec warrior and an Aztec priest could rise through the ranks of their orders. The rank of a warrior depended on how many enemies he had captured during war.

This page from the Codex Mendoza shows the gradual improvements to equipment and clothing as a warrior rises through the ranks.

More images of Aztec warriors from the Codex Mendoza, showing their bright clothes, and obsidian-edged weapons.

Obsidian is a black volcanic glass that forms a cutting edge sharper than surgical steel, and was used in a great deal of pre-Colombian weaponry.

The name "Aztec" is not something they have called themselves. It's a later invention.

One of the peoples of the empire, known as the Mexica, believed themselves to have come from a mythical homeland called Aztlán. This page from the Codex Boturini shows them leaving it.

The "Aztec Empire" is more correctly known as "The Triple Alliance", a political partnership between the cities Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan. Here are the symbols of the three cities that made up the alliance, from the Codex Osuna (1565).

The "Empire" was actually more of a network of tribute. Conquered states had to send goods to the three cities of the Triple Alliance.

These two pages from the Codex Mendoza lists the tribute towns were required to pay, including turtles, jaguar skins, feathers and other goods.

Aztec rituals are shown on page 5 of the Codex Borbonicus, one of the extremely rare pre-Hispanic ritual codices.

Here, we can see the calendar week of 1 Reed. Unfortunately, children born under this sign were predicted to have bad luck.

Another detail from the Codex Borbonicus, showing the god Quetzalcoatl, the mythical Aztec feather serpent.

Although it is commonly asserted that the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés was mistaken for the return of the god Quetzalcoatl, this is likely a myth.

Codex Vaticanus B, part of the Borgia Group of manuscripts with religious content.

The Codex Fejérváry-Mayer is one of the rare pre-Hispanic Aztec manuscripts to survive.

It deals with the sacred Aztec calendar, known as the tonalpohualli. This first page shows the god Xiuhtecuhtli, the lord of fire in the center and the four corners of the cosmos

This irst page of Codex Mendoza shows how the map of the city of Tenochtitlan mirrored the four-part structure of the universe.

Some more images from the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer. This was once known as The Codex Tezcatlipoca, or "The Book of the Smoking Mirror", the god who the book is dedicated to.

The deity Tezcatlipoca depicted in the Codex Borgia, another of the few extant pre-Hispanic codices.

Page 12 of the Codex Borbonicus shows the god Tezcatlipoca (whose name means "smoke mirror", and who represents night and fate), and Quetzalcoatl (the feathered serpent).

Another prominent god was Tlaloc, whose name means "wine of the earth", and who was associated with the colour blue, and seen here in the Codex Laud, folio 2.

The blue shrine at the top of Tenochtitlan's Templo Mayor was dedicated to this fertility god.

These are even more depictions of Aztec Gods in the Codex Borgia.

Codices could also include maps. The Mapa Quinatzin is a 16th-century Nahua pictorial document, consisting of three sheets of amatl paper that depict the history of Acolhuacan.

This is a depiction of the palace of the exiled prince Nezahualcoyotl.

This map known as the "tlacamecayotl" from the Codex Xolotl, uses black lines drawn between the different nobles of Mexico to show who is related to whom. This works a bit like a family tree.

Post-contact codices used a mix of European and indigenous styles. This from the Codex Duran shows the Emperor Moctezuma seeing a comet overhead, presaging the invasion by the Spanish.

Other Mesoamerican people like the Mixtecs also created codices.

This is an illustraion from a Mixtec codex, depicts the frenetic activity at a wedding between two nobles: "the wedding of 3-Flint and 12-Wind" from the Mixtec Zouche-Nuttall Codex.

If you enjoyed this thread, you can learn more about the rise and dramatic fall of the Aztec Empire in Episode 9 of the Fall of Civilizations podcast.

You can also support the podcast on Patreon here: patreon.com/fallofciviliza…