Fejérváry-Mayer codex
Origin of the Fejérvary-Mayer Codex
The
Codex Fejérváry-Mayer is a
indigenous codex of central Mexico. It is one of the rare manuscripts prehispanic having survived the Spanish conquest. Of ritual type, one generally arranges it among the codices of the Borgia group. Its invoice is typically indigenous: it is about a work in animal skin folded in accordion. This mixtèque or tlaxcaltèque manuscript of 23 layers has a format of 16,2 cm out of 17,2 cm, it has a length of 3,85 Mr. His history is unknown until 1829. Its name comes to him from a Hungarian collector called Fejérváry, which sold it to a commercial rich person named Mayer. It is currently preserved at Free Public Museum of Liverpool in England. The specialists consider that it presents many common points with the Codex Laud.
About what does speak this Codex?
This manuscript précolonial which belongs to the Borgia Group by its similarities of pictorial style. It s´agit d´un “Tonalamatl of los pochtecas”, a calendar of predictions and ceremonies devoted to certain protective divinities like “Yacatecuhtli”, god of the merchants and the tradesmen. Those used this calendar to determine the favorable dates to carry out their forwardings. This manuscript was published the first time by Kingsborough in the years 1831-1848 and was given 1867 to the Museum of Liverpool. Like all the précoloniaux codices, it is read from right to left. The name of this codex comes from the Hungarian collector Gabriel Fejérváry, which sold it to a commercial rich person, Joseph Mayer.
Curiosities
- did you know It? “Pochtecas”, or Aztec merchants were also spies charged to inform l emperor about the people likely to revolt!
- the Aztec ones believed in l´influence of the gods on their “tonalli”, or destiny. According to the ritual calendar, the days could be favorable, neutral or harmful to certain activities. This “tonalamatl”, or “Delivers Destiny” which made it possible to the soothsayers to interpret the favourable or harmful influences Gods for each day of the year. These soothsayers were called “tonalpouhque”, that one could translate by “those which keep the accounts of the days” or “those which can read the destiny”. They consulted this calendar divinatoire to carry out any kind of prophecies: to know which was the most favourable day to carry out voyages, to make the war, to marry, to undertake the agricultural work but especially to predict the “tonalli”, i.e. the destiny of the newborns.
Internal bonds
- indigenous Codices of central Mexico
- Codex Borgia
- Codex Borbonicus
External bonds
- the 4 principal Mayas Codices: Paris codex, Dresdes Codex, Madrid Codex, Grolier Codex.
- the integrality of all the Codices Mayas, Aztec and Mixtèques, of which the Borgia Codex.
- a site which presents the principal codices of central Mexico