z e i & 5 S Jong the few Pre-Columbian pictorial manuscripts from fcenval Mesoamerica which have survived to this day there is group of ive known asthe Borgia Group." These manu ‘crit all seer to come frm te area that syscall is usualy relerred ‘0 asthe Mixteca-Puebla area. Their exact provenance is not krown, This group deals with issues of religion, Thee are rounds, divisions, and auguries related to the 260-day ritual calendar, which provide 8 wealth of information concerning the deities related to calendrical ‘evens. In adlition tothe scenes with information on ritual activites and events associated wit the calendar, there ae aso scenes that speci. cally focus on rival prescriptions. We wil explore a small sample of these scenes, but ist we wil look a the interpretation and reading of the manuscripts, Interpreting these manuscripts isa dificult task. The first commen: {aries, sil in use by moder scholarship, were written by the German scholar Eduard Selec (1901, 1904-1909) atthe beginning ofthis cen. tury. The next important scholar inthe study ofthe Borgia Group i the Austrian, Karl Anton Nowotny, who published a seminal study of the group in 1961, At presen, the publication of new commentaries s ‘being undertaken by Maarten Jansen and Ferdinand Anders For further analysis ofthe history of scholarship on the Central Mexican pictorial ‘manuscripts, | reer to their work (Anders and Jansen 1986), la his a Portantstudes ofthe Mixtec Codex Vindobonenss, Jansen (1962) hos shown that hese manuscripts can be read as text. Because the message '3 put down in a pictorial mode, the actual spoken text may difer from reader to reader, but the main content ofthe message will remain the Same to all? Jansen (1962) has ala shown that poetic tents and literary figures of speech can be effectively represented inthis pictorial sytem tt may seem that such textual readings are accomplished mone easy for the Mixtec codices than forthe Borgia group, because the former contain much historic material which lends itself better to conversion to» text ‘using events, names, and dates to provide a “story line” However these Mixtec manuscripts provide not only historical facts but aso the fog ‘damental religious concepts that explain and justify certain events and the actions of certain persons. Ths ype of historic description h ear: ‘mon among many peoples and i usualy called sacred history, which 'tslf, may form pat of the sacred stores told and preserved within arte. ious tration. The Western reader is probably finly familar with this ategory of sacred history through the description ofthe history of the Jewish people that is part ofthe Judeo-Christian holy scrioture, Sacred history usually weaves mythic events concerning the beginning of tne Voicing the Painted Image hey Asuasesion Yous for Reading the Reverse of the Codex Cospi Oey looandthe usieatn of extenc eae ino Histor evens tht hy beaded down ough aces evdence rer ceatng sores te ne cots eal mths tor tr orl inst prominence ofa certain ines iri te common desgation of he Mec mars 8 steal” and he Baga Coup a welgus become less mes sryuso kt th goo reson tt Jae 108: 96) proposes the eee cre msael hoe an prescient ot ert bngs ut beret qveston he otexal mata Sra an pie ces at pi en “Sao eva eings re presriive manus arena torhe dese ons So, he erprention ot hese aera tesa ben ted 0 hea escion of wht CCoviaurons gen page Ovo uch istorii camot corey vetmtnt pact tthe opening nd eing of tese magicent gare mu Rave fo on the gal ses. we would want rca eta dig wht would be or surest We would ee Teal test uncon nthe tc el of hat ame She the tas seller sich an ana ae Suces fra he ane coy od tery mortar fr 5 pape source fom presen ny Mesoamerican ss Tong the nary of Mesoaerca, we can econ cute cntary 0 poplar open? echs 2 he auc rete fhe panshvasion, Cnty he dae proces Spe cular outs history. nts resco i ween one elemental place ile te sae ine the ceri cade A vig ute eve Sate and cll == SLES Please help and protect the hunter when he goes ut theswoods ‘May he not be biten or stung by the animals with big claws and jas or the animal with venomous eth or the animals with senomous sng. May no jaguar suddenly jumpoutof siding to atack the hunter with jaw ad claw ‘Mayo snake suc ts venomous tet trike ont i to bite the hunter Fave 1 Codex Comp page 21. The re god presides over unig ritual with counted Dundes. His day name" Rabi” i above hi shel Alo shown ‘rom which protection souk‘May no scorpion, wih its venomous tl, be hiding on the ground atthe eet ofthe hunter when he sts himself up inthe woods ‘May no mosqut, with ts anoying bite, enter the hiding place ofthe hunter when he prepares mse in the woods ‘May no spider, with poisonous bite, lower itself the foliage inthe place where the hunter sts himself up in the woods ‘AI these things we beg of you, Lord of Fire, so you may help and protetthe hunter. Foal hes things we have brought you an aeplatory offering an offering aso to make recompenstin forall the hunter has taken before. ‘the division into “chapters” andthe opening scene featuring the fire god give us some insight into the construction ofthe scenes on the e revs o the Codex Cospi The hand that drew the pages, albeit of inferior Spit, is that of an individual who knew how comely to present 2 coherent group of scenes, arranging them in a deliberate order. ‘Because we have sources that explain these particular scenes, we can come toa conclusion that the prescriptive of eligious codices also con ‘Gira tent, The core message ofthat ex unequivocally indicated and te clea tall who are versed inthe symbol system used. However, ove the text ectually sounded depended on both the recitative powel and the language of the reader. this beings vs tan important consideration inthe interpretation of Mesoamerican writing, and of writing systems in genera. It has been Shown in this paper how texts fom the Tlapanecs ft very wel with & articular scene inthe Codex Cosi. However, this not an argument That this codex is Tlapanec, anything, the more weighty arguments are sania such an assumption. Apparent, Ue Coden Cospi documents uate that were widely known in central Mesoamerica. By using this ietorial notation system the codex could be read not only by the actus} Bainter but aso by many other Mesoamerican peoples who may have spoken very diferent languages ve many eaderi circles writing is ill thought ofa an evolutionary peeves that necessrl eads fom a flower, pictorial stage through vai> i tenes to the highest tage of alphabetical witing. Contrary 10 this esumption, we mus conclude that, inthis particular Amerindian writing Tradition, a pictorial system i better sulted to an environment where 2 trainee of often uneelated languages is spoken, allowing communica: Ton acros language boundaries. By nature, alphabetic writing systems lack tis lesb. “another consideration ithat Mesoamerican religions, like most Amet- indian religions, do not erophasize dogma. Within te limits of cerais Pees van ds Loo oe base incl mich tude es eal an abo psn inca ef be moran nes oe ign, The et tht stton em des tte wed rn sows be pecnay fey nn nd earl sgn tral hypothe may oe wh 3 ea sn cont bt os vite ge ae pou we he colt the bytes tems peed nce to cde imporar batons bening tne ey weno nid he tmaning erste pon ws posed han, re me tration aiden ote tonal nat at ene had Ofer einpostiew wath hs peu robe late area the co of eae oe Coes Cone aves seas Dalow ste stents dee udosaning os mans Sechintonthcs ram oe eae eran Notes 1 Te ecm lh gt cdi a ythcobes B,C eid ‘Mayer, Laud, and Vaticanus 6 (3773), vais 2 Jansen 1982: 42: Hay que tener en mene quel picograia anqve no re produce is ariclacions del habla, produce un tet el memento que un citice es interpreta en vor as 3. For 3 detailed discussion on the contovesy concerning cual continuity ‘sd dijuncin o Mesoamerica, Se van der Loo 1987: 9-20. 4 Fora discussion of ad suggestion concerning the methodic reqiemens of tesenrch nvasng coal cnt, evan der oo 197, 30-26 5. Sica th Sesh tain, wry vemAenian ny cera carts hve en opt and incre no ths align ia poe Yo ck change reed € be Moen a noan eee peeeeh eae Ee © Senate 7 Foran anass ofthe Tpanec and Mite mate pate by Schulze roa (1930) see Nowy 1961: 272-274; 1968: 24-26 For Tapes and ie atria n the vets a ies, van er Le 982, 1987, ch 13 {nt24 Foran mas ole Cho atrial abr Caras (1960, Nowy 1962426 For afer ara ecm on the Coder Cerin pen by Ano, insane oo. 8 Fora ful anecrption of his mith, se van der Loo 1988 References ‘Anders, Ferdinand 1972, Codes Vi Druck und Verlgansta teams 8 (3773. Grae, Asta: Akademische Voicing the