Few civilizations have been the subject of as much fascination and mystery as the Maya. Known for their ancient temples and hieroglyphs—the Mayan script is the most sophisticated language of the pre-Columbian Americas–The Mayans were a powerful and advanced civilization that existed for centuries in what is now Mexico and Central America.
The Mayans were avid bookkeepers, having written documents ranging from the lives of the political elite, to the worship of Gods, to the bureaucratic nuances of the calendar year. A number of the Spanish colonial forces remember witnessing such documents and believed the Maya continued to produce them well into the conquest.
The Spanish clergy outlawed the creation of hieroglyphs as an act of idolatry, and in the 16th century conducted mass book burnings of Mayan writing. To this day, only three pre-columbian Mayan documents remain, the longest of which is The Madrid Codex.
Also known as Codex Tro-Cortesianus, the manuscript was discovered in the 1860s in Spain. It is unclear how the document arrived in Europe from “the new world”, but at some point, it was separated into two parts. The “Troano” first emerged to scholars in 1866 and was named after its owner Juan Tro y Ortolano. The second, the Cotesanius, was sold shortly after. It was not until the 1880s that scholars realized they were two pieces of the same text.
The Madrid Codex is 56 pages long double-sided, and inscribed on paper made from the bark of fig trees. The writing was produced in what is now the Yucatan, having been written in what historians refer to as Yucatecan, including the Mayan languages of Yucatec, Itza, Lacandon, and Mopan.
The contents of the Madrid Codex are predominantly concerned with astrology and divinatory practices, referring to astrological events such as eclipses, and the placement of stars and planets. It also refers to specific days in the Mayan ritual calendar, such as rain ceremonies and the sacrifice of captives, as well as agricultural activities, such as hunting, trapping, and beekeeping.
The Madrid has been an invaluable source of information for historians researching Mayan gods and ritual practices.
While experts disagree on when exactly it was written, historians believe it is a product of the Postclassic period (1250-1520) and it reflects “the concerns of a society that underwent significant change,” likely through migration and development in other areas of the Yucatan valley.
One of many heartbreaking facets of colonialism is the efforts colonizers would take to destroy the culture, particularly the written word, of subjugated populations. Still, it is worth noting that despite the advanced weaponry of the Spanish, the Mayans were an incredibly challenging force to conquer. The Yucatan Valley alone took nearly 20 years to fall under Spanish control.
While the majority of Mayan cultural documentation has been lost, it only serves to make the Madrid Codex even more of a treasure. The product of a complex and sophisticated civilization worthy of care and study.
For more information visit:
“10 of the Oldest Known Surviving Books in the World” Wigan Lane Books, March 31 2018
