Codex Huamantla

The center of the painting depicts the migration of a group of Otomi people from Chiapan to Huamantla, under the protection of the goddess Xochiquétzal and of Otontecuhtli, lord of the Otomi and of fire.[1] The work depicts the path taken by the pilgrims with footsteps and the places marked by toponymic glyphs and in some cases by their founding myths.[2] Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital is represented with its glyph and tutelary god, possibly Huitzilopochtli.[2]

A second pictograph was made above the first by a different artist.[1][2] It shows the participation of the Otomi in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and the lives of the Otomi under Spanish domination.[1] Fragments of the codex include a Franciscan monastery, church and a friar believed to depict Pedro Melendez, who initiated the construction of the buildings in 1570.[2]

The exact date of the original work is unknown, but the addition of the second part by a different artist is presumed to have been completed in 1592.[2] The work contains a line in Nahuatl which is read in Spanish as "Aquí llegó el capitán hace setenta y tres años".[2] This is a direct reference to Hernán Cortés and the passage of seventy-three years, which indicates the year was 1592.[2] It is presumed that because this portion is on the edge of the work that was added last.[2]

The manuscript consists of several fragments with several of portion having been lost.[2] The codex is made of bark paper which was painted.[2] The original work measures 8.5 meters long and 1.90 meters wide.[2] Seven of the fragments are in Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology and History and the remaining two fragments are in the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, Germany.[2]