15－16世紀にメキシコ中部に栄えたアステカは神話や儀式を重んじ独自の文明をもつ国家だった。15世紀末に発見されたこの写本は、コルテスらスペイン侵略による略奪を免れた貴重な写本。文字はなく、絵のみでアステカ独自の暦や神々、儀礼などを表現している。

The Aztec state, which flourished in central Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, had a distinctive culture rich in myths and rituals. This precious manuscript, which was discovered in the late fifteenth century, was plundered by the Spanish invaders, led by Cortez. It is composed entirely of pictograms and expresses the Aztec calendar, gods, and rituals.