Codex Mendoza in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 2018

Codex Mendoza, Folios 51 (verso) and 52 (recto),A.D. 1542

Attributed to Francisco Gualpuyogualcal



Object Details

Artist: Attributed to Francisco Gualpuyogualcal (Mexican, Nahua, active 16th century)

Artist: Attributed to Juan González (active 16th century)

Date: A.D. 1542

Geography: Mexico

Culture: Nahua and Spanish

Medium: Paper, pigment

Dimensions: (Closed) H.12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm)

Classification: Paper-Documents

Credit Line: Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford (MS. Arch. Selden A. 1)


Probably commissioned by the Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza, this codex was intended to convey to the Spanish crown information about the viceroyalty of New Spain, recently established in the former territories of the Aztec Empire. The manuscript records the tribute that provinces—identified by glyphs on the left margin—once paid to the Aztec capital. It highlights the precious materials such as jadeite, turquoise, and exquisitely crafted garments that the Aztecs valued most and testifies to Aztec dominion over a vast territory and access to luxury goods.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/722131