Editing Maya codices (section)

==Background==
There were many books in existence at the time of the [[Spanish conquest of Yucatán]] in the 16th century; most were destroyed by the Catholic [[priests]].<ref name="Foster">{{cite book |last1=Foster |first1=Lynn V. |title=Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World |url=https://archive.org/details/handbooktolifean00fost |url-access=limited |date=2002 |publisher=Facts On File |location=New York |isbn=978-0816041480 |page=[https://archive.org/details/handbooktolifean00fost/page/n311 297]}}</ref> Many in [[Yucatán (state)|Yucatán]] were ordered destroyed by [[Diego de Landa]] in July 1562.<ref>Diego de&nbsp;Landa) William Gates, translator, (1937) 1978. ''Yucatan Before and After the Conquest''. An English translation of Landa's ''Relación'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20170323233025/https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/books/yucatan-before-and-after-the-conquest.pdf Retrieved 22 Mar 2017]</ref> Bishop de&nbsp;Landa hosted a mass book burning in the town of [[Maní, Yucatán|Maní]] in the Yucatán peninsula.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Bower |first1=Jessica |title=The Mayan Written Word: History, Controversy, and Library Connections |journal=The International Journal of the Book |date=1 September 2016 |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=15–25 |doi=10.18848/1447-9516/CGP/v14i03/15-25 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2714043792 |access-date=27 October 2022|id={{ProQuest|2714043792}} |url-access=subscription }}</ref> De&nbsp;Landa wrote:<blockquote>We found a large number of books in these characters and, as they contained nothing in which were not to be seen as superstition and lies of the devil, we burned them all, which they regretted to an amazing degree, and which caused them much affliction.</blockquote>

Such codices were the primary written records of Maya civilization, together with the many [[inscription]]s on stone [[monument]]s and [[stela]]e that survived. Their range of subject matter in all likelihood embraced more topics than those recorded in stone and buildings, and was more like what is found on painted ceramics (the so-called ''ceramic codex''). Alonso de Zorita wrote that in 1540 he saw numerous such books in the [[Guatemala]]n highlands that "recorded their history for more than eight hundred years back, and that were interpreted for me by very ancient Indians".<ref>Zorita 1963, 271–272</ref>

[[Dominican order|Dominican]] friar [[Bartolomé de&nbsp;las Casas]] lamented when he found out that such books were destroyed: "These books were seen by our clergy, and even I saw part of those that were burned by the monks, apparently because they thought [they] might harm the Indians in matters concerning religion, since at that time they were at the beginning of their conversion." The last codices destroyed were those of [[Nojpetén]], Guatemala in 1697, the last city conquered in the Americas.<ref>[http://www.authenticmaya.com/maya_writing.htm Maya writing] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613162647/http://www.authenticmaya.com/maya_writing.htm |date=2007-06-13 }}</ref> With their destruction, access to the history of the Maya and opportunity for insight into some key areas of Maya life was greatly diminished.

Three Mayan codices have been preserved:

* The '''[[Dresden Codex]]''', also known as the ''Codex Dresdensis'' (74 pages, {{convert|3.56|m|ft|abbr=off|disp=sqbr}});<ref name="WDL">{{cite web |url = http://www.wdl.org/pt/item/11621/ |title = O Códice de Dresden |website = [[World Digital Library]] |date = 1200–1250 |access-date = 2013-08-21 }}</ref> dating to the 11th or 12th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Murray |first1=Stuart |title=Library, the : an illustrated history |date=2009 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc |location=New York |isbn=9781628733228 |page=140}}</ref>
* The '''[[Madrid Codex (Maya)|Madrid Codex]]''', also known as the ''Tro-Cortesianus Codex'' (112 pages, {{convert|6.82|m|ft|abbr=off|disp=sqbr}}) dating to the Postclassic period of [[Mesoamerican chronology]] (''circa'' 900–1521 AD).;<ref name="Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 126">Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 126.</ref>
* The '''[[Paris Codex]]''', also known as the ''Peresianus Codex'' (22 pages, {{convert|1.45|m|ft|abbr=off|disp=sqbr}}) tentatively dated to around 1450, in the Late Postclassic period (AD 1200–1525)<ref name="Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 126"/>

A fourth codex, lacking hieroglyphs, is Maya-Toltec rather than Maya. It remained controversial until 2015, when extensive research finally authenticated it:

* The '''[[Maya Codex of Mexico]]''', also known as the '''Grolier Codex''' (10 pages) or ''Sáenz Codex''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inah.gob.mx/attachments/article/7497/Bolet%C3%ADn%20299.pdf|title=Boletín 299: INAH ratifica al Códice Maya de México, antes llamado Grolier, como el manuscrito auténtico más antiguo de América|last=Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia|date=30 August 2018|website=gob.mx|access-date=18 October 2019}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.brown.edu/articles/2016/09/mayacodex|title=13th century Maya codex, long shrouded in controversy, proves genuine|website=News from Brown|publisher=Brown University|access-date=2016-09-07}}</ref><ref name="Smithsonian 2016">{{cite web |last1=Blakemore |first1=Erin |title=New Analysis Shows Disputed Maya "Grolier Codex" Is the Real Deal |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/maya-codex-once-thought-be-sketchy-real-thing-180960466/ |website=Smithsonian |access-date=2018-11-09 |date=15 September 2016}}</ref>