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Article: The Codex Mendoza. (book reviews)
- Article from:
- History Today
- Article date:
- October 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 History Today Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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At some time during his administration (1535-50) Antonio de Mendoza, Viceroy of newly conquered Mexico, commissioned a report for the Spanish crown. The aim was to describe the condition of Mexico before the European arrival, and the document listed the conquests of successive Aztec rulers, gave an inventory of the tribute paid to Moctezuma by his imperial provinces, and concluded with a description of everyday life as the Indians remembered it.
At first glance the report looks like any other bound volume, but this was no ordinary government document. It was compiled, on European paper, by Indian scribes who used the indigenous pictorial script. The native ...