The Mexica had a writing system that, while not as well known as the Maya system, was capable of recording complex information about history, religion, tribute, and the calendar. The Mexica system was a combination of pictographic and phonetic elements, in which images could stand for entire words or for syllables. The system was used to record the conquests of the Tlatoani, the tribute owed by the subject provinces, the religious calendar, and the myths of the people. The most important surviving examples of Mexica writing are the pre-conquest and early colonial codices, which were typically made of bark paper, deer hide, or maguey fiber.
The Nature of the Mexica Writing System
The Mexica writing system was a complex combination of pictographic and phonetic elements. The pictographic elements were images that represented objects, ideas, or actions, and they were used to record information that could be conveyed visually. The phonetic elements were signs that represented sounds, and they were used to record information that could not be conveyed visually, including proper names, abstract ideas, and grammatical relationships.
The Mexica system used a number of devices to convey information. The most common device was the pictograph, an image that represented the object or idea. The Mexica also used the rebus, a device in which an image was used to represent a word that sounded like the name of the object. The Mexica also used ideograms, signs that represented ideas rather than objects or sounds. The combination of these devices allowed the Mexica to record a wide range of information, from simple lists to complex historical narratives.
The Mexica writing system was not a true alphabet, in the sense of a system in which each sign represents a single sound. Rather, it was a logo-syllabic system, in which some signs represented entire words and others represented syllables. The system was capable of conveying complex information, but it required considerable training to use, and it was generally restricted to the scribes and the religious specialists.
The Codices
The most important surviving examples of Mexica writing are the codices, which were typically made of bark paper, deer hide, or maguey fiber. The codices were folding screenfold books, and they were used for a wide range of purposes, from religious divination to historical record. The codices were typically produced by teams of specialists, including the scribe, the artist, and the religious specialist who supervised the production.
The most famous pre-conquest codices include the Codex Boturini (Tira de la Peregrinación), which records the Mexica migration from Aztlan to Tenochtitlan; the Codex Aubin, which records Mexica history from the migration to the Spanish conquest; and the Codex Borbonicus, a religious and divinatory codex. The most famous early colonial codices include the Codex Mendoza, a tribute and history codex prepared for the first Viceroy of New Spain, and the Codex Telleriano-Remensis, a religious codex prepared in the sixteenth century.
The codices were typically organized in a strip format, with the images and signs arranged in a continuous sequence. The reader would unfold the codex as he or she read it, and the images would be revealed in order. The codices were often used in conjunction with oral explanations, and the reader would explain the images to an audience as the codex was unfolded.
The Topics of the Codices
The codices covered a wide range of topics, from religious divination to historical record. The religious codices, such as the Codex Borbonicus, were used to determine the auspicious days for various activities, and they contained the Tonalpohualli and the Xiuhpohualli, the two cycles of the Mexica calendar. The religious codices also contained the rituals and the offerings associated with the various days, and they were used by the priests to determine the proper ceremonies for each day.
The historical codices, such as the Codex Aubin, recorded the major events of Mexica history, from the migration to the Spanish conquest. The historical codices typically used a strip format, with the events arranged in a chronological sequence. The historical codices also recorded the reigns of the Tlatoani, the conquests of the empire, and the major battles and events of the imperial period.
The tribute codices, such as the Codex Mendoza, recorded the tribute owed by the subject provinces. The tribute codices typically used a grid format, with the provinces listed in the rows and the goods listed in the columns. The tribute codices were used by the calpixqui, the tribute collectors, to determine the amounts owed by each province, and they were used by the central government to verify the collections.
The Scribes
The production of the codices was a specialized activity, and the scribes, called tlamatinime, were among the most respected figures in Mexica society. The scribes were trained in the calmecac, and they underwent a long period of apprenticeship before they were allowed to produce codices on their own. The scribes were responsible for the recording of the historical, religious, and administrative information of the Mexica state, and they shaped the cultural and political life of the empire.
The scribes had their own organization, with senior scribes supervising the work of the junior scribes, and they had their own patron deity, who was Itzpapalotl, the obsidian butterfly, or one of the other deities associated with the arts and the crafts. The scribes were also responsible for the training of the new scribes, and they had a monopoly on the production of the codices. The scribes enjoyed considerable privileges, including the right to certain ornaments and the right to attend the principal religious festivals.
The scribes used a wide range of tools, including brushes made of animal hair, inks made from various plant and mineral materials, and a variety of surfaces, including bark paper, deer hide, and maguey fiber. The scribes were also skilled artists, and they were able to produce images of great beauty and sophistication. The codices that survive from the pre-conquest and early colonial periods are among the most beautiful works of Mesoamerican art, and they are evidence of the skill of the Mexica scribes.
The Spanish Conquest and the Destruction of the Codices
The Spanish conquest brought the destruction of the Mexica writing system, and the Spanish made a systematic effort to suppress the old religion and the old culture. The Spanish destroyed thousands of codices and other indigenous texts, and they imposed the Latin alphabet on the indigenous population. The destruction of the codices was a major loss, and it has made the modern study of Mexica civilization more difficult.
Yet many elements of the Mexica writing system survived, and they have been preserved in the work of the indigenous chroniclers of the colonial period. The most important of these is the Florentine Codex, compiled by Bernardino de Sahagún and his indigenous collaborators, which is the most comprehensive single source on Mexica civilization. The Florentine Codex was written in both Spanish and Nahuatl, and it provides a detailed record of Mexica life that would otherwise have been lost.
The surviving codices have been preserved in libraries and museums around the world, and they continue to be the subject of intensive scholarly study. Modern scholars have been able to reconstruct much of the Mexica writing system from the surviving codices, and they have used this knowledge to interpret the pre-conquest past. The study of the Mexica writing system is an active field, and new discoveries continue to deepen our understanding of this remarkable cultural achievement.
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See also:
- How did the Aztec writing system work? — the mechanics of the system
- What are Aztec glyphs and how do you read them? — the basic elements
- How did Aztec scribes learn to write? — the training
- Historical Codices and Sources on the Aztecs — the surviving documents
- The Aztec Calendar and Timekeeping — the calendar recording
- Aztec Art, Architecture, and Science — the broader context