Codex Mendoza

Latin American manuscript

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Last updated

July 17, 2026

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The Codex Mendoza is a manuscript created around 1541 for the viceroy of New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza. It is divided into three parts: the history of the Aztec rulers and their conquests, a tribute list detailing goods paid by conquered provinces, and an ethnographic account of Aztec life, customs, and economy.1

The codex was intended to inform the Spanish king about the Aztec empire. It was created by Aztec artists using traditional pictographic methods, with some Spanish annotations. The manuscript provides valuable insights into Aztec society, governance, and economic systems before the full impact of Spanish colonization. The codex is named after its commissioner, not its origin, and is a significant historical document for understanding pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.12

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Latin American art
Mesoamerica
Included in the Codex Mendoza (begun in 1541) were a tribute list, of great interest to him in the exploitation of the new domain; a summary of cultural ranks and behaviour expected from men and women at different stages of life; and a list of monthly religious observances,…
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Included in the Codex Mendoza (begun in 1541) were a tribute list, of great interest to him in the exploitation of the new domain; a summary of cultural ranks and behaviour expected from men and women at different stages of life; and a list of monthly religious observances,…
Read More