Codex Boturini

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/codex-boturini

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the document type?Mural-style codex on processed animal hide, folded concertina-style
2. What is the originating culture?Aztec (Mexica) people
3. When was the Codex Boturini made?It was likely made in the early 16th century, right before or after the Spanish Conquest. That means it was created a long time ago, around the 1500s.
4. What story does the Codex Boturini show?The codex shows the Mexica leaving Aztlan, traveling, setting up temporary homes, meeting other groups, and doing religious ceremonies. It tells the story of their journey to a promised land.

Codex: An ancient manuscript book, typically made of folded sheets of parchment or animal hide, containing historical, religious, or artistic information.
Mexica: The Nahuatl-speaking people who were the dominant ethnic group in the Aztec Empire, known for their migration and founding of Tenochtitlan.
Aztlan: The mythical ancestral homeland of the Aztec peoples, from which they are said to have migrated to central Mexico.
Pictographic Manuscript: A document that uses pictures and symbols to convey information, common in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultures.