Codex Fejérváry-Mayer

pre-Columbian manuscript

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

The Codex Fejérváry-Mayer is a pre-Columbian manuscript from Mesoamerica, a region encompassing parts of Mexico and Central America that was urbanized before Spanish arrival. These Mesoamerican books, known as codices, were typically made from deerskin or agave-fiber paper and contained pictographs, ideograms, and phonetic symbols.12

The Codex Fejérváry-Mayer, along with others like the Codex Borbonicus and Codex Borgia, primarily deals with the ritual calendar, divination, ceremonies, and beliefs about the gods and the universe. These sacred books were created by scribes and were crucial for understanding the religious and cosmological systems of the time. Due to their religious nature, many codices were destroyed by the Spanish, making the surviving examples, such as the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer, invaluable historical documents.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

codex
…the Codex Colombino, and the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer, all believed to have been produced before the Spanish conquest of the region. Certain collections of formulas or standards are also referred to as codices; for example, the Codex Alimentarius and the British Pharmaceutical Codex.
Read More
…the Codex Colombino, and the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer, all believed to have been produced before the Spanish conquest of the region. Certain collections of formulas or standards are also referred to as codices; for example, the Codex Alimentarius and the British Pharmaceutical Codex.
Read More