Codex Nuttall
Also known as: Codex Zouche-Nuttall, Códice Nuttall, Códice Zouche-Nuttall
A pre-Columbian Mixtec pictorial manuscript tracing royal genealogies, alliances, wars, and rituals—especially the career of Lord Eight Deer Jaguar Claw and dynasties of Tilantongo and Jaltepec.
Description
The Codex Nuttall (also known as Codex Zouche‑Nuttall) is a Mixtec deerskin screenfold painted on both sides with vivid pictographs that record dynastic histories, marriages, conquests, religious ordinations, and ritual performances. One narrative strand centers on Lord Eight Deer Jaguar Claw, charting his alliances, pilgrimages, and expansion of power; another recounts lineages tied to Lady Six Monkey and the houses of Jaltepec and other Mixtec polities. Dates are encoded with tonalpohualli day signs, place glyphs, and emblematic toponyms, forming a sophisticated visual historiography. Serving as a primary source for Postclassic Mixtec political culture, it preserves a tightly interwoven record of sovereignty, sacred legitimation, and regional diplomacy.
Historiography
The manuscript survives as a single deerskin screenfold painted on both sides (obverse and reverse), acquired into European collections and later known as the Zouche‑Nuttall. Scholarly study has focused on sequencing the reading order, correlating day signs and toponyms with Mixtec historical geography, and comparing episodes with related codices (Bodley, Selden, Colombino‑Becker, Vindobonensis). Modern analyses emphasize its value for reconstructing Mixtec rulership, ritual investiture, and inter-polity networks.
Date Notes
Pre-Columbian Mixtec pictorial screenfold on deerskin; narratives likely compile older dynastic traditions; presently held at the British Museum.
Archetypes
Symbols
Major Characters
- Lord Eight Deer Jaguar Claw
- Lady Six Monkey
- Lord Four Wind
Myths
- Life of Eight Deer Jaguar Claw
- Lady Six Monkey and Dynastic Alliances
- Wars, Pilgrimages, and Foundations
- Ritual Marriages and Sacrifices
Facts
- Pictorial manuscript painted on deerskin, folded as a screenfold.
- Narratives are read in sequences guided by red lines and footprints.
- Two painted sides (obverse and reverse) present distinct but related histories.
- Centers on Lord Eight Deer Jaguar Claw, a preeminent Mixtec ruler.
- Records marriages as instruments of diplomacy and territorial control.
- Includes pilgrimages and priestly investitures legitimating royal power.
- Employs day signs and toponyms to encode dates and places.
- Related closely to other Mixtec codices (Bodley, Selden, Colombino‑Becker, Vindobonensis).
- Held today in the British Museum under the name Codex Zouche‑Nuttall.
- Primary source for Postclassic Mixtec political-religious history.