Illustration of days and gods in the Aztec calendar, from the
Codex Borgia

Created c. 1510

Codices (singular: codex) are ancient books that relate information about the religion, rituals, history, astronomy, and calendar systems of vanished peoples. Codices from Mesoamerica, such as the Codex Borgia, are a leading source of information about the cultures that existed there prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century. Before the Spanish conquest most Mesoamerican codices were painted on paper made from the bark of fig trees or from animal skins. For a deerskin book, for example, strips of deerskin were attached end to end to make one long strip. The strip was then treated with white lime-plaster and folded like an accordion. Priests or scribes made the codices, using natural pigments from vegetables and minerals to color their paints. Their paintbrushes came in a variety...