Calendar
Traditional High Cultures
Oral and Written Traditions and Rock Art as the Histories of Both Ancient and Living Peoples, Especially of the Americas before the Arrival of Europeans
 

The Mixtec codices are the most blatantly historical of Mexico. They span at least from the late 800's CE to the 1700's, with largely continuous descent of ruling lineages at named places whose geographical locations are in large degree known. (Contrast the “Borgia” group.) They manifest what is clearly written language. Different Mixtec languages use essentially the same word order and grammar, so the iconographic text can be usually be read in any of them. That was one of the genius features of this writing. But it is writing. There is clearly a minimal reading of it which does not elaborate beyond what is written (just as for English!). There are occasional indications through rebus puns that the language of a particular town was intended. In addition to the codices available through us, the Codex Selden and the Codex Bodley are very important ones in this historical group.

Some publications on Zapotecs and others with similar recorded traditions are also listed here.

 
Codex Nuttall A restoration by Díaz and Rodgers, with 76 pages color plates. The most important codex of this group. Learning is best begun from a restoration like this. Especially prominent for the story of the conqueror named 8 Deer “Jaguar-Claw”, and parts probably written for Zapotec lords of Zaachila. Order from Dover Publications or from a bookstore.
Order from Dover Publications
Codex Nuttall Screenfold facsimile by Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz, Austria (Graz). Commentary 256 pages by Ferdinand Anders, Maarten Jansen, and Gabina Aurora Pérez Jiménez. Published by Fondo de Cultura Economica (FCE). Includes extra black-and-white copy for daily use.
$125
Codex Nuttall Same Black-and-White copy only, for educational use
$15
Legend of Lord Eight Deer The Legend of Lord Eight Deer, retold and illustrated by John M. D. Pohl. Oxford University Press 2002. 64 pages. Order from Oxford University Press, not from Ecological Linguistics. Out of Print
History of Warfare Aztec, Mixtec and Zapotec Armies. By John M. D. Pohl. Osprey Publications, Men-at-Arms no.239. Order from Osprey Publications, not from Ecological Linguistics. Use the search tool. ($14.95 fr. Osprey)
Codex Selden analysis La Dinastía de Añute. Historia, Lliteratura e Ideología de un Reino Mixteco. By Maarten Jansen and Gabina Aurora Pérez. With codex in line drawings. Order from CNWS, not EL. € 22.69
Codex Edgerton -Becker-II Screenfold facsimile by Graz. Commentary 251 pages by Maarten Jansen. Published by FCE.
$135
Codex Colombino-Becker I

Commentary by Alfonso Caso, introduction by Miguel León Portilla, 110 pages. Published by Patronato Indigena. Also called "Codex Caso". Temporarily out of stock.

Out of Stock $75
Reyes y Reinos de la Mixteca Fundamental reference work for identifying Mixtec rulers and history, by Alfonso Caso. Published as a two-volume set by FCE.
$65
Parallels in the Mixtec Codices Concordance to the historical events, names, and dates in the Mixtec historical codices, so that the peculiar point of view of each community can be contrasted, and parallel passages can confirm each other. Ecological Linguistics. In preparation.  
Workbook for Learning Mixtec Writing & Codices Contains student and teacher workbooks, calendar history blanks to fill in both year by year and day by day for 8 Deer's adult life, guides to locating place names and famous oracles and other results of the best analysis available, in easily usable form. License available for multiple copies for classroom use. Email us.
$20
Codex Vindobonensis Screenfold facsimile by Graz. Commentary 258 pages by Ferdinand Anders, Maarten Jansen, and Gabina Aurora Pérez Jiménez. Published by FCE. Features foundations of towns and legendary origins more than genealogies. Includes extra black-and-white copy for daily use.
$125
Vindobonensis Same Black-and-White copy only, for educational use.
$12
Politics of Symbolism The Politics of Symbolism in the Mixtec Codices, by John M. D. Pohl. 157 pages. VUPA #46. Order from Vanderbilt University Publications in Anthropology, not from Ecological Linguistics  
Coixtlahuaca Historical Traditions The Coixtlahuaca valley is on the northern edges of the Mixteca, now inhabited by Chochos. This publication brings together for the first time many of the documents, some never published, to make it a major research tool. In two volumes. Published by Ecological Linguistics on acid-free paper.
$120 / $180
Concordance to Coixtlahuaca Concordance to the recurring ruler names and dates in the Coixtlahuaca family of codices. Ecological Linguistics. In preparation.
Four Lienzos of the Coixtlahuaca Valley By Ross Parmenter. Dumbarton Oaks Studies in Pre-Columbian Art & Archaeology Number Twenty-Six. 83 pages, 1982. An interesting narrative of an outsider's discovery that there are more lienzos (linen maps / genealogies) in the possession of communities, and information about some of them.
$5
Tequixtepec, Oaxaca

Documentos Antiguos de San Miquel Tequixtepec Oaxaca. Los Primeros cien años de la Colonia (1533-1617), by Sebastiaan van Doesburg. Order from CNWS, not from EL.

 € 39
Zapotec Elite Ethnohistory Zapotec Elite Ethnohistory. Pictorial Genealogies from Eastern Oaxaca. By Joseph W. Whitecotton. 1990. 176 pages. VUPA #39. Order from Vanderbilt University Publications in Anthropology, not from Ecological Linguistics  
Zapotec genealogies Historiography of the Bènizàa. The postclassic and early colonial periods (1000-1600 A.D.), by Michel Oudijk. Order from CNWS, not from Ecological Linguistics
 € 31.76
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Click here for information on How to Order, and for our Address. If you have other questions, please Email us here. If the price is greyed, an edition is currently out of stock or not yet available. Of two prices, the first is for individual use only, the second is for institutions.