The Dresden Codex

Book excerpt: Dresden Codex, Latin Codex Dresdensis, one of the few collections of pre-Columbian Mayan hieroglyphic texts known to have survived the book burnings by the Spanish clergy during the 16th century. The codex was rediscovered in the city of Dresden, Germany, and that is how the Maya book received its present name. It contains astronomical calculations (eclipse-prediction tables, the synodical period of Venus) of exceptional accuracy.The codex was acquired by the Saxon State Library, Dresden, Saxony, and was published by Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough, in Antiquities of Mexico (1830-48). The book received direct water damage that was significantly destructive from being kept in a flooded basement during the bombing of Dresden in World War II. The pages are made of Amate, 8 inches high, and can be folded accordion-style; when unfolded the codex is 12 feet long.