compiled 1545–1577 CEReputable sourceWell documented
The Florentine Codex: How We Know
On the timeline · around compiled 1545–1577 CE ·
What happened
Much of what we know of the Aztecs comes from the Florentine Codex, compiled by the Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún with Nahua elders and scribes. Its twelve books, written in Nahuatl and Spanish and richly illustrated, form an encyclopedia of Aztec religion, society and history.
Why it matters
The Florentine Codex is the single greatest source on Aztec civilization — a rare record of a conquered people set down in their own language, preserving a world the conquest had shattered.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Florentine Codex · Reputable source