Codex+Zouche-Nuttall

Codex Zouche-Nuttall
Country: Mexico Culture: [|Mixtec] Period: Late Post classic Period(1200-1521 AD) Length:113.500cm Width:23.500cm Height:19.000cm Current location: British Museum http://www.britishmuseum.org





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Introduction
The Codex Zouche-Nuttall is one of the few [|Codices] from pre-Hispanic times. It tells two stories one starting at each end. It was made by the Mixtec culture. The Mixtec culture is indigenous to Mesoamerican people live in the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla.

Descriptive Analysis
In the late post-classic period the Zouche-Nuttall codex was painted on deer skin using natural pigments. The central colors used were; yellows, reds, browns, and blues. Many of the images are of men performing anything from daily routines to religious ceremonies; such as marriage and sacrifices to name a couple. All acts are meant to portray the lives of the elite, most predominantly the ruler. Upon further inspection it is clear that the heads of each individual were slightly larger than fit their bodies. The character's faces are decorated with tattoos and other adornments. many images have an anthropomorphic quality most notably in the upper right hand corner, where a half man half snake resides.It should be noted that many of the men are wearing headdresses with animals as the motif, each of which represent something different. Each person holds something in their hands whether it is a tool or a weapon, or a religious artifact; this seems to be central to the story as a whole. There is a multi-colored pathway leading to a temple. Of the three pathways only one is multi-colored the rest are yellow and do not contain footprints. The "focus" pathway shows not only its wear but also its direction, which ends on another page. In the Zouche-Nuttal Codex there are 47 pages; of which only one is presently shown, this is what this description is based on.

On the page shown from the British Museum, (top right) a man holds out his hand offering an animal head to a figure on the left of him. The figure doing the offering is sitting on a throne while the other figure sits in mid-air with crossed arms. Through out the page shown there are many buildings which look like temples. On the second page, upper left hand corner there is an animal being cut open with blood depicted. Above this animal there is a red figure looking down upon the scene. Again we note the animal motif most obviously expressed by birds. There are real birds then there are buildings with beaks, which we will call birds too. The 6th image in from right to left, appears to be a water well or a tree that produces sap. The bottom of the structure appears to have a sort of bird-head, which has its mouth wide open. There is a lack of facial expression with every character; no one character appears to have any emotion. In conclusion, the Zouche Nuttall codex is a complicated series of images depicting the history of the Mixtec people and life of Eight Deer Jaguar Claw. Many characters are depicted with colorful attire and intricate headdresses with animal features. The different colors and figures serve to represent certain deities and aspects of Mixtec life.

Formal and Contextual Analysis
In the Oaxaca region a post Toltec culture called the Mixtec have left us a well preserved documentation of their existence through the survival of such artifacts as the Zouche-Nuttall. Art in the Mixtec culture was used to tell stories, instead of using a written language. The characters and pictures are meant to represent ideas, not syllables or specific sounds. The red lines tell you where to read known as boustrophedon you read from right to left. An explanatory mode of drawing is used. Which means that people, animals, costumes and architecture are shown in their most identifiable aspect. all of the images are shown in a two dimensional view. Images of people and animals have no facial expressions to demonstrate emotion. Also the pictures were first sketched with red lines and the the solid colors were blocked in from light to dark, later they were outlined in black. Colorful expression used in the codex was typical of not only this region but of the Mesoamerica period. On one side it tells the genealogy of a Mixtec ruler named Eight Deer Jaguar Claw. His marriages and military accomplishments are told to not only describe but impresses his importance so that future generations could revisit the depictions of a hero whom they view as an example of how to live their lives. From viewing the codex it would seem as though expression is held at a higher regard in terms of color and through artistic expression than the living actions of the characters. The ruler Eight Deer Jaguar Claw is portrayed in a more idealized fashion more than realistic. It would be ideal for a man of his stature to be seen as virtuous and stoic. On pages 44 and 45 of the Zouche-Nuttell Codex displayed at the British Museum Eight Deer Jaguar Claw is sitting on his thrown offering a goat head to a holy man. A deer head with eight dots near it is an ideograph of EIGHT Deer Jaguar Claws name. Ther are many temples displayed showing that the Mixtec's were very religous. There are many images of animals being sacrificed. It seems as if there are people floating above them only because it is drawn in a two dimenisional view. The image of birds that displayed througout the codex is an abstract eagle.