Monday, October 29, 2007

The Dresden Codex

An exact replica of the Dresden Codex has gone on display this week in Guatemala.

The Maya codex, one of only three in existence thanks to the pyrotechnic tendencies of early Spanish missionaries, was acquired by Royal Library of the court of Saxony in 1739.

It contains astronomical predictions of startling accuracy as well as texts on sickness and medicine. 12 of its 74 pages were damaged as a result of the Dresden bombing raid in 1945. (The hieroglyphs in the upper lefthand corners of the pages were erased.)

I've not seen it, but five years ago I did get a chance to view the Madrid Codex in its somewhat hidden location at the wonderful Museo de América.

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