Image: La pelea en Tacuba durante la batalla de Colhuacatonco & la evacuación de Tenochtitlan, en los folios 23v & 24r

Description: Two folios of Codex Azcatitlan, an early 16th-century Mexican manuscript telling about the history of pre-Hispanic Mexico. Folio 23 verso (left): a battle in the shores of Lake Texcoco during the Siege of Tenochtitlan in 1521. This battle most likely depicts on of the stages of the Battle of Colhuacatonco fought on 30 June 1521, during which Spanish soldiers fought Mexica warriors in the shores of the lake near their camp at Tlacopan (modern-day Tacuba). The fully Spanish soldier fighting on land is probably captain Pedro de Alvarado, known as Tonatiuh (Sun) among the Mexica. He is identified by his shield, which has an illustration of the Sun. Folio 24 recto (right): the evacuation of the city of Tenochtitlan. As the siege of Tenochtitlan was coming to an end in August 1521, a portion of the city's population attempted to flee through their canoes across the lake. This moment is depicted in this folio. Emperor Cuauhtémoc attempted to flee the city on 13 August 1521, but was caught by the Spanish brigantines surrounding the city. He then surrendered to the Spanish, thus ending the war. Description from the World Digital Library: This manuscript, known as the Codex Azcatitlan, most likely dates from only a few years after the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico. It recounts the history of the Aztecs (also known as the Mexica), including their migration to Tenochtitlan (forerunner of present-day Mexico City) from Aztlán, the ancient or mythical birthplace of Aztec civilization. The codex depicts the succession of Aztec rulers, the arrival of Spanish troops headed by Hernán Cortés, and the introduction of Christianity. Of all the known manuscripts recounting Aztec history, the Codex Azcatitlan is probably the most valuable and important. In contrast to other histories written later in the colonial period, it is known for the unique way in which it records indigenous memories from the pre-Hispanic past. Like other Aztec codices, it is written in pictograms. These are very carefully drawn, by a scribe who obviously was very skilled. The codex is copied on 25 folios of paper imported from Europe to Mexico in the 16th century. Each episode in the history is presented on a double folio for easier reading. On the first folio, the author introduces a group of people whom scholars have not yet identified. They could be tlatoanis, or high-level Mesoamerican rulers or heads of state. From folio 2 to folio 25, the scribe describes the migration of the Mexica tribes to the promised land of Tenochtitlan.
Title: La pelea en Tacuba durante la batalla de Colhuacatonco & la evacuación de Tenochtitlan, en los folios 23v & 24r
Credit: World Digital Library: https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15280/?sp=30
Author: Unknown authorUnknown author
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No