Dresden Codex
The present article is a summary of what the Dresden Codex is, including some ways to read it and a glimpse of its content. Will you be able to identify the elements that appear in the final challenge at the end of the article?
Dresden Codex
The Dresden Codex was created in Chichen Itza during the Postclassic period. It consists of 39 sheets painted on the front side and measures 29.5 cm in height and 9 cm in width. It is currently housed in the Saxon State Library in Dresden, Germany. The codex covers several topics, including:
- Deities Section: Some of the deities mentioned are Itzamna, one of the creator gods; Kʼin Ajaw, the sun lord; Chak, the rain god; Kimil, the deity of death; and Ixchel, the moon goddess.
- Venus Section: This section details the morning and evening cycles of Venus, covering a period of 584 days.
- Eclipses Section: It includes calendrical information for predicting eclipses, which occur every 148 and 177 days.
- Mars Cycle Section: Describes the cycle of Mars, lasting 780 days. An interesting aspect of this section is the depiction of Mars as a monster hanging from the sky with a large nose, cutting the heavens with an axe to release rain onto the Earth.
- New Year Section: Dedicated to the celebration of the New Year bearers, a date marked by grand festivities.