Aztec manuscript returns to Mexico after two centuries, on loan
For years, Mexico has demanded the return of a treasured manuscript. Now the Aztec relic is back home from France — but on loan.
The Azcatitlan Codex, a rare 16th-century manuscript recounting Aztec history, has returned to Mexico for the first time since 1840. On Thursday, the codex debuted in Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology. Originating from France's Bibliotheque Nationale, it arrived there in 1898. The temporary loan coincides with the two countries' 200 years of diplomatic ties.
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco emphasized the exhibition's aim to reunite the nation with its collective memory, stating that the pictograms are "our history, the written voice of our ancestors, and the deep root of our identity." Emilia Mendoza of the Hnahnu indigenous community expressed elation, saying, "They stole our history!"
The codex, composed of Mesoamerican pictograms with European writing, is divided into three sections detailing the Mexica's migration from the mythical birthplace of Aztec civilization to Tenochtitlan, the empire's capital and present-day Mexico City. It also illustrates the succession of city rulers, Spanish arrival, and subsequent evangelization.
The codex, created by an Otomi craftsman, will be on display until December. Simultaneously, Mexico will loan France the Codex Boturini, another significant historical document depicting the Aztec migration to the Mexican valley.
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