Codex

Any handwritten manuscript of the Scriptures, either Christian or in Mesoamerica before the Spanish conquest. In Mesoamerica, these documents were written and painted in hieroglyphic or pictographic characters on bark paper of animal skin and they contain information about pre-Columbian and post-conquest life. The surviving codices, of which there are four, were folded concertina-fashion, like a map. The information concerned astronomy, religious ceremonies, calendrics, genealogy, or simple accounting. The best surviving example is the Dresden Codex. A number were commissioned by the Spanish and some are copies of earlier works, including the Mayan Book, of Chilam Balam, the Popol Vuh, and the Aztec tribute lists of the Mendoza Codex. Those written post-conquest might resemble a book in format. The early Christian gospel books were produced in monasteries in the post-Roman era, including Codex Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, and Vaticanus.

(1) An early Christian gospel book, in the form of a handwritten manuscript, produced in one of the monastic establishments of the Post-Roman era.. (2) A type of Mesoamerican document, made of folded strips of bark or deer skin, on which various aspects of life are recorded. The information, in hieroglyphic or pictographic form, concerned astronomy, religious ceremonies, calendrics, genealogy or simple accounting. Very few pre-Conquest codices survive; the best example of these is the Codex Dresden. A number were commissioned by the Spanish, and at least some are copies of earlier works. The best known of these are the Mayan Book of Chilam Balam, the Popol Vuh, and the Aztec tribute lists of the Codex Mendoza.