description Paris Codex Overview
The Paris Codex is a surviving pre-Columbian Maya manuscript, currently housed in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. The document is constructed from bark paper coated in a fine gesso layer, folded into a screen-book format characteristic of Mesoamerican texts. Its fragmented pages contain detailed records of Maya calendrical cycles, specifically the 260-day ritual calendar and the katun cycle. The codex is distinct for its inclusion of zodiac-like imagery depicting animals and astronomical phenomena used in indigenous astronomical observations.
help Paris Codex FAQ
Where is the original Paris Codex kept?
It is held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France under the shelf mark Mexicain 386. Digitized images are available through the library's Gallica collection because the fragile original is not an ordinary display book.
How many pages of the Paris Codex survive?
The surviving fragment comprises 22 painted pages from an accordion-fold manuscript. Several pages are badly damaged, and the original codex was longer than the portion preserved today.
What information does the Paris Codex contain?
It records ritual material, prophecies, New Year ceremonies, and a sequence of katuns, which are Maya periods of 20 formal calendar years. Its final pages contain animal figures often described as a Maya zodiac.
Is the Paris Codex one of the four surviving Maya codices?
Yes. It is generally counted with the Dresden Codex, Madrid Codex, and Maya Codex of Mexico as one of four accepted surviving Maya books. The Paris manuscript is especially important for its katun prophecies and debated constellation imagery.
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