The case of the Mayan codices

History has left us clues about Mayan codices. What can we find out about Mayan codices from these clues?

VASES

Mayan vase depicting scribes. (Source.)

Parts of the writing on Mayan vases follows specific patterns which name the owner or patron of the piece and his titles. This pattern is also evident in the codices.

Additionally, some Mayan vases depict scribes making and writing on codices. We learn more about how Mayans made codices from these images.

SPANISH MISSIONARIES

Sixteenth-century Spanish missionaries in Central America deliberately destroyed codices they found. They were concerned that the presence of these books would distract the would-be converts or remind them of their "pagan past." Most codices sent back to Europe were damaged or discarded en route.
Additionally, Spanish book-making and the Spanish alphabet took over Mayan paper- and book-making processes. The missionaries placed great importance on the printing press to make books for proselyting.

1940s OBSERVATIONS

Von Hagen with his wife. (And a vicuña.) (Source.)

Antrhopologists Victor von Hagen and Hans Lenz in the 1940s independently observed descendants of Mayans making paper--the same way their ancestors did. They learned that paper was "bark-cloth"--a material made from tree bark fiber and solidified with oil.

CODICES

A page from a Mayan codex. (Source.)

There are only four Mayan codices left, and all of these are incomplete and partially deteriorated. Evidence shows that these four are probably copies, made when the condition of the originals were no longer sustainable. This suggests that Mayan codex-making is a more ancient practice than we realize.

We also learn from the surviving codices the page formatting. Long pages were folded to create many pages. The longest page of the four surviving codices measures over 22 feet, folding into 112 pages.

CONCLUSION

We still have much to learn about codices, but vases, the visitation of Spanish missionaries, modern observations, and surviving codices teach us much about the content, format, construction, and history of Mayan codices.

The Construction of the Codex...
Maya codices
Barkcloth