Madrid (Tro-Cortesian) Codex

Dated: 15th century Cultural

Context: Post-classic Maya style.

Origin: Yucatan, Mexico (North America)

Medium: Agave fibre paper and natural pigments

Technique: Painted

Dimensions: Height = 22.6 cm; Length = 416.5 cm + 238.5 cm

Inventory No.: 70300

The Madrid Codex, also known as the Tro-Cortesian Codex, is one of only three surviving original Maya codices in the world, alongside the Dresden and Paris Codices. In the second half of the 19th century, two separate fragments were located; one was called Troanus in honour of its discoverer (Juan Tro y Ortolano), while the other was called Cortesianus in memory of Hernán Cortés, although its reading began with the latter. When both fragments were studied, it was found that they were part of the same codex.

In Mesoamerica, codices were kept in which hieroglyphs and ideograms were employed to tell the history of each people, genealogies, significant royal events, religious and ritual matters, astronomical and calendrical knowledge, geographical questions related to borders, lists of tributes, and so on. These were recorded and managed by the ruling and priestly class, who controlled this knowledge and used it to strengthen their power.

Although amate paper was generally used for pre-Hispanic codices, the Madrid Codex uses a type of paper made from the fibres of a cactus (maguey, agave or pita), bound with natural gum, coated with lime and painted. It consists of a single strip, folded like a folding screen, comprising 56 sheets or 112 pages. The text refers to ritual subjects and contains divinatory formulae used by priests to predict events.