The world of the aztecs, in the florentine codex in. Florentine codex, book 12, ch 14 early nahuatl library. Book two gives comprehensive accounts of the religious ceremonies and days of feasting during the time of the aztecs, including prayers, songs, and the duties and roles of aztecs inside the. James lockhart has provided us with his transcription of the nahuatl and its translation to english. The three bound volumes of the florentine codex are found in the biblioteca medicealorenziana palat. The florentine codex spring li hist 106 the florentine. Nov 15, 2016 the codex held in the laurentian library of florence, italy is a copy of a lost original that originates from the sixteenth century. The general history of the things of new spain, by bernardino. Sep 24, 2020 the florentine codex was written for franciscan missionaries in new spain so that they could better understand and communicate with the aztecs that they were attempting to convert. An image from the florentine codex, compiled in mexico in the 1500s, shows the devastating effects of smallpox on the native population.
Book ten gives a broad overview of the different occupations, classes, and characteristics of aztecs during this time period. Biblioteca medicea laurenziana, florence timeline category. The codex consists of twelve books on many aspects of nahua culture and language, presented in par allel columns of nahuatl and castilianlanguage. The harvard university center for italian renaissance studies, 28, milano 2011. Pdf florentine codex article january christian roith. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search.
Now the idea of a codex, or codices codices is plural for codex wasnt new to this region as the mesoamerican people had wellestablished codex making traditions at the time of the spanish. The aztecs actually referred to themselves as the mexica. The florentine the english news magazine in florence the english news magazine in florence italy for news, events, culture, travel, lifestyle, food, classified ads. Florentine codex, book 12, ch 01 fcbk12ch01f03r00 folio 3 recto. The passage above is a modernized english version of a selection from a huehuetlatolli speech about how to live nobly that was recorded by sahagun in the sixth volume of the florentine.
Jan 01, 2010 a sixteenthcentury manuscript known as the florentine codex is an outstanding example of graphic pluralism in early colonial mexico. Commonly called the florentine codex, the manuscript came into the possession of the medici no later than 1588 and is now in the medicea laurenziana. They commonly accept the alphabetic texts and images of the florentine codex as a bicultural product, but they differ in their approaches to the codex by emphasizing either indigenous or european tradition depending on their scholarly interest. Florentine codex project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The volume chapters address a range of subjects, from nahua sacred beliefs, moral discourse, and natural history to the florentine artists models and the manuscripts reception in europe.
Florentine codex, book 12, ch 14 fcbk12ch14f21v00 folio 21 verso. The author is professor of anthropology at the university of chicago. Florentine codex, book 12, ch 01 early nahuatl library. The manuscript are arranged in both the nahuatl language and in spanish. General history of the things of new spain by fray. A spot check of certain portions of the english version gives strong evidence for careful and conscientious literality in the transla tion.
Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. The florentine codex ultimately yields new perspectives on the nahua world several decades after the fall of the aztec empire. Florentine codex lends force to the detailed descriptions which pack some of the pages of sahagun s ethnography. The general history of the things of new spain, by. The florentine codex is divided by subject area into twelve books and includes over 2,000 illustrations drawn by nahua artists in the sixteenth century. The english translation of the complete nahuatl text of all twelve volumes of the florentine codex took ten years. Who was the florentine codex written for, and what were. Sahagun began conducting research into indigenous cultures in the 1540s, using a methodology that scholars consider to be a precursor to modern anthropological field technique.
As you have access to this article, a pdf of this content is available in through the. The four volumes reveal the friars attempt to understand native culture, plants, medicine, and language by encouraging older men to draw in. This particular book is about the spanish invasion of mexico in 1519 and their eventual consolidation of power in the capital. It seemed to pierce the sky itself, very wide at the base and narrow at the top. The florentine codex has been the major source of aztec life in the years before the spanish conquest. General history of the things of new spain by fray bernardino. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. The codex consists of twelve books on many aspects of nahua culture and language, presented in parallel columns of nahuatl and castilianlanguage alphabetic text, including many illustrations drawn by nahua artists.
While the artists of th florentinee codex featured marina only seven times, she appears quite frequentllienzo. Anderson and charles dibble, following in the tradition of nineteenthcentury mexican scholars francisco del paso y troncoso and joaquin garcia icazbalceta. How it got from spain to italy and into the laurentian library in florence we can only conjecture. The florentine codex speaks about the culture religious cosmology and ritual practices, society, economics, and natural history of the aztec people. This is book 12, chapter 1 of the florentine codex, also known as the general history of the things of new spain.
This source focuses on book twelve which consists of fortyone chapters. Book four delves into the aztecs complex astrological beliefs. The florentine codex provides a rich scholarly dialogue among the contributors. The spaniards approached tenochtitlan from the south, crossing to the city along the causeway from ixtapalapa. An encyclopedia of the nahua world in sixteenthcentury mexico kindle edition by peterson, jeanette favrot, trerraciano, kevin. The nahua accounts concentrate on those things that were new and strange like horses and crossbows but also seek to find parallels and comparisons between their own practices and customs and the ways of the. Arguably the most fascinating part of this book is the detailed. The sun, the moon and stars, and the binding of the years florentine codex.
The date of birth was so significant that it ultimately determined ones personality and future. View the florentine codex from hist 1010 at auburn university. The florentine codex, a unique manuscript dating from 1577 preserved in the medicea laurenziana library in florence, is for the first time available online in digital format, the library of congress announced today. World digital library adds florentine codex library of congress. The florentine codex an encyclopedia of the nahua world in. This is book 12, chapter 14 of the florentine codex, also known as the general history of the things of new spain. Who was the florentine codex written for, and what were some. Florentine codex facsimile edition bilingual press. Nahuatl accounts of the conquest of mexico, repertorium columbianum, ucla. The florentine codex consists of 12 books that describe aztec life before the spanish conquest. Sahagun is a franciscan missionary who arrived in mexico in 1529. Spring li hist 106 the florentine codex the florentine codex consists of twelve books written in the nahuatl languages. Book xii of the florentine codex duke university press. From the florentine codex the spaniards approached tenochtitlan from the south, crossing to the city along the causeway from ixtapalapa.
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