Download Codex Mendoza Pic and Explanation

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Codex Mendoza Explanation
What is the Codex Mendoza? The Codex Mendoza is a pictographic book created in 1542CE, about 20 years
after Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica. The Viceroy of New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza, likely ordered it to be written
to record the cultural traditions of the Aztecs prior to Spanish invasion. The codex was painted by Mexican Nahuatlspeaking scribes on Spanish paper. The image is the 2nd page (the “frontispiece”) of the manuscript which depicts the
founding of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (today Mexico City). According to Aztec myth, their patron deity,
Huitzilopochtli (Hummingbird Left), instructed the Aztecs’ ancestors to leave their ancestral home of Aztlan and look for
a place where they saw an eagle (an Aztec symbol for sun) atop a cactus growing from a rock. They observed this sign in
the middle of Lake Texcoco, and so established their capital on an island in the lake in 1325CE. The blue geometric
outline represents the water/canals the city was built upon. The Europeans even nicknamed Tenochtitlan the “Venice
of the West.” The arrows behind the shield is the Aztec symbol for war, indicating the Mexica may not have settled
peacefully in the Valley of Mexico. The structure above the eagle probably symbolizes an early version of the Aztecs’
main temple. To the right of the eagle is a skull rack that brings attention to sacrificial ceremonies but whose purpose is
unknown. Nine of the ten human figures wear Aztec robes and assume standard Aztec male posture and sit on green
reeds. A tenth figure has black body paint, a smear of blood on his head, different hairstyle than the others and a
speech symbol, or glyph. He is a priest, the leader of the group. Together, they were the founders of Tenochtitlan.
There are also different types of plants, including maize, or corn, symbolizing agricultural fertility associated with the
city. Experts are cautious when translating codices because often the pictures and symbols work together to convey an
idea and don’t translate literally into English words.