Codex Cardona

CARDONA CODEX Important document that describes with profuse information and detail, the landscape, the culture, the daily life and the customs in the difficult years of the end of the Aztec Empire and the Spanish settlement in Mexico, including parts as outstanding as a map of the Aztec capital that could be the first known map of that city. The codex, made on amate paper in sheet format, is composed of 806 pages (201 bifolds and a single page) with about 300 illustrations, plus two folding maps. It is currently organized in five unbound parts, except for the two maps which are individually bound. Arnold J. Bauer in his book "The Search for the Codex Cardona" was the one who introduced the general public to this enigmatic codex, and the person who has researched it the most. Bauer gathers opinions and testimonies of several experts who indicate that the Codex Cardona could be a commission of Captain Cardona, Alonzo Cardona y Villaviciosa, at the request of the first Viceroy of New Spain, Don Antonio de Mendoza, to present it to King Carlos I of Spain. It would have been made therefore in Mexico towards 1550 - 1560 by Aztec scribes, Nahua artists, under the supervision and annotations of the Catholic clergy. The complexity of the work, the style similar to other codices of the time, the language used and the mention of places like a 16th century church that wasn't discovered until 1982 in Mexico City, are indicators that support the dating of the 16th century, being Bauer himself convinced of it, as he indicates in the last chapter of his book. Even so, several enigmas continue to surround the Codex, such as its whereabouts from the date of its creation until its appearance in the 80's of the 20th century or the use of amate paper instead of European paper for a work of such importance, which has led some experts to doubt about its originality. In any case, and despite the doubts and enigmas surrounding the Codex 40 years after its discovery and, it is a monumental work, of great interest, that still has many secrets to reveal. Origin: -Jesuit Francisco Calderón around 1630. Suggested by Anthony Pagden (see Bauer, A. The Search for the Codex Cardona. Durham: Duke University Press, 2009) -Guillermo Rodrà guez Esquivel, Architect, Mexico - Deposited at Christie's London in 1998 -Private collection, Spain Bibliography: Bauer, A., "The Search for the Codex Cardona". Durham: Duke University Press, 2009 Biophilic measurements: 40 x 72 cm each approximately. Map of Mexico City: 75.5 x 81 cm Map of Coyoacán: 111 x 39 cm Starting price: Consult .Amate paper
Dimensions: cm