Antiquities of Mexico
Antiquities of Mexico is a compilation of facsimile reproductions of Mesoamerican literature such as Maya codices, Mixtec codices, and Aztec codices as well as historical accounts and explorers' descriptions of archaeological ruins. It was assembled and published by Edward King, Lord Kingsborough, in the early decades of the 19th century. While much of the material pertains to pre-Columbian cultures, there are also documents relevant to studies of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Antiquities of Mexico was produced to make copies of rare manuscripts in European collections available for study by scholars.
 Title page of volume 1 | |
| Author | Lord Kingsborough |
|---|---|
| Country | London, England |
| Publisher | A. Aglio (Vols. 1–5), R. Havell (Vols. 6–7), H.G. Bohn (Vols. 8–9) |
Publication date | 1830–1848 |
| Media type | elephant folio |
| Pages | 9 vols. |
| OCLC | 5852094 |
The work consists of nine volumes, each published in a large elephant folio format. It was originally planned as ten, but Lord Kingsborough died before the full work could be completed.
Kingsborough commissioned the Italian landscape painter Agostino Aglio to furnish the reproduction drawings and lithographs of the Mesoamerican artworks and codices used to illustrate the volumes. Born in Cremona and resident in London since 1803, Aglio had previously illustrated antiquities of Ancient Egypt and Magna Græcia on behalf of the English architect William Wilkins. Aglio spent the better part of six years travelling to the libraries and museums of Europe to examine and draw all of the "Ancient Mexican" documents, artefacts and manuscripts known in European collections of the time.
Many of the facsimiles of codices are hand-colored.
References
- Kingsborough, Edward; King, Viscount (1830–1848). Antiquities of Mexico: comprising fac-similes of ancient Mexican paintings and hieroglyphics, preserved in the royal libraries of Paris, Berlin and Dresden, in the Imperial library of Vienna, in the Vatican library; in the Borgian museum at Rome; in the library of the Institute at Bologna; and in the Bodleian library at Oxford. Together with the Monuments of New Spain, by M. Dupaix: with their respective scales of measurement and accompanying descriptions. The whole illustrated by many valuable inedited manuscripts, by Augustine Aglio. London: A. Aglio (Vols. 1–5), R. Havell (Vols. 6–7), H.G. Bohn (Vols. 8–9). OCLC 5852094.
- Marhenke, Randa (2003). "The Ancient Maya Codices". Maya Hieroglyphic Writing. Mesoweb. OCLC 53231537. Archived from the original on 18 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
- Tenorio-Trillo, Mauricio (1996). Mexico at the World's Fairs: Crafting a Modern Nation (e-Book Scholarship editions). The New Historicism series, No. 35. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-20267-8. OCLC 44961052.
- Wason, Charles William (1831). "Art. VIII.— Antiquities of Mexico; comprising Fac-similes of Ancient Mexican Paintings and Hieroglyphics, preserved in the Royal Libraries of Paris, Berlin and Dresden; in the Imperial Library of Vienna; in the Vatican Library; in the Borgian Museum at Rome; in the Library of the Institute at Bologna; and in the Bodleian Library at Oxford: together with the Monuments of New Spain, by M. Dupaix, with their respective Scales of Measurement, and accompanying Descriptions. The whole illustrated by many valuable inedited Manuscripts. By Augustus Aglio". The Monthly Review. From January to April inclusive, vol. 1. New and improved series. London: G. Henderson. pp. 253–274. OCLC 64054239.
- Wauchope, Robert (1975) [©1962]. Lost Tribes and Sunken Continents: Myth and Method in the Study of the American Indians (Fifth impression ed.). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-87635-7. OCLC 50928664.