Codex of Moctezuma

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he Matrícula de Tributos is a pictographic record of the towns and tribute goods of the thirty-three provinces comprising the central Mexican empire in the early sixteenth century. The extant portion of the document is composed of sixteen leaves of indigenous paper executed on both sides in colour. Surviving more than four centuries, it currently resides in the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico … Associated with most of the tribute pictographs are annotations, some in Nahuatl, some in Spanish …

None of the pictographic content or style betrays any European influence. However, the Matrícula differs from other indigenous Mesoamerican codices in that it does not employ their screen-fold style …

The document’s potential in future resolution of research problems is great. It can provide important clues to the nature of Aztec writing, especially through intensive study of the numerous place-glyphs …

Given its possible pre-conquest origin and its detailed content, it is certainly a key document.”

Frances F. Berdan
from the preface to this edition.

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