Borgia Group
Encyclopedia
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
documents from central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, first identified by Eduard Seler
Eduard Seler
Eduard Georg Seler was a prominent German anthropologist, ethnohistorian, linguist, epigrapher, academic and Americanist scholar, who made extensive contributions in these fields towards the study of pre-Columbian era cultures in the Americas...
. They are distinguished by their religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
content, while the pre-Columbian codices of the Mixtec group are principally historical
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. The place of origin and creators of the codices has been a matter of debate.
The main members of the Borgia Group are:
- The Codex BorgiaCodex BorgiaThe Codex Borgia is a Mesoamerican ritual and divinatory manuscript. It is generally believed to have been written before the Spanish conquest of Mexico, somewhere within what is now today southern or western Puebla...
, after which the group is named. The codex is itself named after Cardinal Stefano BorgiaStefano BorgiaThe Most Rev. Dr. Stefano Cardinal Borgia was a senior Italian prelate, theologian, antiquarian and historian.Cardinal Borgia belonged to a well known family of Velletri, where he was born, and was a distant relative of the House of Borgia. His early education was controlled by his uncle...
, who owned it before it was acquired by the Vatican LibraryVatican LibraryThe Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
. - The Codex CospiCodex CospiThe Codex Cospi is a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican pictorial manuscript, included in the Borgia Group. It is currently located in the library of the University of Bologna....
. - The Codex Fejérváry-MayerCodex Fejérváry-MayerThe Codex Fejérváry-Mayer is an Aztec Codex of central Mexico. It is one of the rare pre-Hispanic manuscripts that have survived the Spanish conquest of Mexico. As a typical calendar codex tonalamatl dealing with the sacred Aztec calendar – the tonalpohualli – it is grouped in the Codex Borgia group...
. - The Codex LaudCodex LaudThe Codex Laud, or Laudianus, is an important sixteenth century manuscript associated with William Laud, an English archbishop who was the former owner of this ancient Mexican codex...
. - The Codex Vaticanus BCodex Vaticanus BCodex Vaticanus B, also known as Codex Vaticanus 3773, is an Aztec ritual and divinatory document. It is a member of the Borgia Group of manuscripts. It contains 49 leaves, 48 of them are painted on both sides.- History :...
.
Also sometimes included are:
- The Aubin Manuscript No. 20, or Fonds mexicain 20.
- The Codex Porfirio DíazCodex Porfirio DíazThe Codex Porfirio Díaz or Códice de Tututepetongo is a colonial Mesoamerican pictorial manuscript, consisting of a 10-page vellum screenfold. It is sometimes included in the Borgia Group.-Bibliography:...
.