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Codex Azcatitlan. Vols. 1 and 2. Introduction by Michel Graulich. Study by Robert H. Barlow, revised and updated by Michel Graulich. (Paris: Bibliotheque nationale de France/Societe des Americanistes, 1995. 159 pp., introduction, illustrations, maps, references, bibliographies. 330FF.)
Through painted images and Nahuatl glosses, the Codex Azcatitlan presents a seminal account of Mexica history. The highlights of these annals-the migration from Aztlan (here Azcatitlan) to Tenochtitlan, the succession of imperial rulers, Cortes's arrival, and the introduction of Christianityoverlap with other Nahua histories. What distinguishes the Codex Azcatitlan from its colonial counterparts are the unique ways it records indigenous memories of the pre-Hispanic past. The manuscript thus conveys how Nahuas reinterpreted and construed their pre-Columbian history. No less importantly, it provides significant insights into how European and preHispanic modes of record keeping intertwined to create colonial culture.
This new edition of the Codex Azcatitlan, issued to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Journal de la Societe des Americanistes, is the first full-color facsimile of the manuscript. The two-volume set also reprints Robert Barlow's commentary on the codex; first published in the journal in I949, it continues to be foundational...