Sources

Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/florentine-codex-general-history-of-the-things-of-new-spain.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/florentine-codex-general-history-of-the-things-of-new-spain

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-florentine-codex-general-history-of-the,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/florentine-codex-general-history-of-the-things-of-new-spain},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The Florentine Codex was compiled in Nahuatl and Spanish from Nahua informants working under Franciscan direction in the decades after the conquest, led by Bernardino de Sahagun. It is indispensable and irreplaceable as a record of pre-conquest Nahua life and belief, but it is not neutral testimony: the questions asked, the material selected and the framing imposed were the friars', and the informants were describing practices the same authorities were actively suppressing to the people suppressing them. Cite it as evidence of what was reported under those conditions, not as evidence that the report is accurate or complete. It was issued across roughly three decades in the twentieth century in translation, so no single publication year is asserted for the whole work.

Facts

Assessment

Reliability Tier

A primary record compiled in Nahuatl and Spanish from Nahua informants working under Franciscan direction in the decades after the conquest, indispensable for pre-conquest Nahua life and belief but not neutral testimony, since the questions asked and the material selected were the friars', cited as evidence of what was reported rather than that the report is accurate.

Notes

Compiled in Nahuatl and Spanish from Nahua informants working under Franciscan direction in the decades after the conquest. Indispensable and irreplaceable, but not neutral testimony: the questions, the selection and the framing are the friars' and the informants were describing suppressed practice to the people suppressing it. Cite as evidence of what was reported, not as evidence that the report is accurate. Issued in volumes across roughly 1950-1982; single year not asserted.

Citation

Author

Bernardino de Sahagun; translated by Arthur J. O. Anderson and Charles E. Dibble

Publisher

School of American Research and University of Utah Press

Publication Year

1950

The first volume issued of the multi-volume Florentine Codex translation series, published 1950 to 1982.

URL

https://archive.org/details/generalhistoryof0000bern

Source Type

primary-text

Claims Backed By This Source (524 claims)

This source backs 524 claims across the atlas. As facts: 346 well-attested. As cited relationships: 55 holds, 2 connected. Plus 121 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.

Disposition By Topic

Articles, 109 claims: 100 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 connected, 7 general references.
Veintenas, 76 claims: 56 well-attested, 1 connected, 19 general references.
Trecenas, 71 claims: 40 well-attested, 11 holds, 20 general references.
Deities, 56 claims: 32 well-attested, 5 holds, 19 general references.
Tonalpohualli Day Signs, 40 claims: 20 well-attested, 20 general references.
Hymns & Liturgical Texts, 26 claims: 16 well-attested, 7 holds, 3 general references.
Religious Roles & Titles, 26 claims: 16 well-attested, 7 holds, 3 general references.
Holidays & Festivals, 19 claims: 10 well-attested, 6 holds, 3 general references.
Myths & Sacred Narratives, 10 claims: 7 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 general references.
Plants, 10 claims: 6 well-attested, 2 holds, 2 general references.
Historical Figures, 8 claims: 4 well-attested, 3 holds, 1 general references.
Practices, 8 claims: 6 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Sources, 8 claims: 8 well-attested.
Religious Organization & Structure, 6 claims: 3 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 general references.
Other Writings, 5 claims: 4 well-attested, 1 general references.
Religious Offices, 5 claims: 4 well-attested, 1 general references.
Sacred Objects & Ritual Items, 5 claims: 3 well-attested, 2 general references.
Cultures, 4 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Mythical Creatures, 4 claims: 3 well-attested, 1 general references.
Prayers, 4 claims: 1 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 general references.
Realms, 4 claims: 2 well-attested, 2 general references.
Sacred Sites, 3 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Bodies of Water, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Incense, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
Languages, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
Religions, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Religious Dress & Vestments, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Religious Events, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Categories, 1 claims: 1 general references.
Figures, 1 claims: 1 general references.
Religious Symbols, 1 claims: 1 general references.
Sacred Architecture, 1 claims: 1 general references.
Spread Events, 1 claims: 1 general references.