TheCodex Huamantla also known as theCodex of Huamantla andCódice de Huamantla is anOtomicodex. It contains the work of two artists, and is believed to have been completed in 1592Common Era. The first artist depicts the story migration of the Otomi people fromChiapan toHuamantla during thePost-Classical period. A second artist later depicted the Otomi's participation in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and life under Spanish domination. Seven fragments of the codex are currently held in Mexico'sNational Museum of Anthropology and History, and two fragments are in Germany'sDeutsche Staatsbibliothek.
The center of the painting depicts the migration of a group ofOtomi people fromChiapan toHuamantla, under the protection of the goddessXochiquétzal and ofOtontecuhtli, lord of the Otomi and of fire.[1] The work depicts the path taken by the pilgrims with footsteps and the places marked by toponymic glyphs and in some cases by their founding myths.[2]Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital is represented with its glyph and tutelary god, possiblyHuitzilopochtli.[2]
A second pictograph was made above the first by a different artist.[1][2] It shows the participation of the Otomi in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and the lives of the Otomi under Spanish domination.[1] Fragments of the codex include a Franciscan monastery, church and a friar believed to depict Pedro Melendez, who initiated the construction of the buildings in 1570.[2]
The exact date of the original work is unknown, but the addition of the second part by a different artist is presumed to have been completed in 1592.[2] The work contains a line inNahuatl which is read in Spanish as "Aquí llegó el capitán hace setenta y tres años".[2] This is a direct reference toHernán Cortés and the passage of seventy-three years, which indicates the year was 1592.[2] It is presumed that because this portion is on the edge of the work that was added last.[2]
The manuscript consists of several fragments with several of portion having been lost.[2] The codex is made of bark paper which was painted.[2] The original work measures 8.5 meters long and 1.90 meters wide.[2] Seven of the fragments are in Mexico'sNational Museum of Anthropology and History and the remaining two fragments are in theDeutsche Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, Germany.[2]
