Electronic libraries: World Digital Library Adds Florentine Codex

The Florentine Codex, a unique manuscript dating from 1577 preserved in the Medicea Laurenziana Library in Florence, is for the first time available online in digital format, the Library of Congress has announced. The codex, one of the most important sources for the history of pre-Columbian and early post-Columbian Mexico, is among recent additions to the World Digital Library (www.wdl.org), the Library of Congress’s flagship international digital collaboration.

Vera Valitutto, Director General of the Laurenziana, stated: "We are pleased to be cooperating with the WDL to present this priceless treasure, which came into the possession of the Medici family sometime in the 1580s, to a worldwide online audience. This will be of great benefit not only to researchers, but to students, teachers, and members of the general public interested in learning more about this fascinating civilization and this important chapter in human history."

The text is in Spanish and Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. Its 12 books, richly illustrated by indigenous artists, cover the Aztec religion and calendar, economic and social life, Aztec history and mythology, the use of plants and animals and the Spanish conquest as seen through the eyes of the native Mexicans.

Inclusion of the Florentine Codex in the WDL is part of a project to unite digital versions of the most important documents relating to the early history of Mexico, which are scattered in libraries and museums throughout the world. So far, nine institutions in five countries – Mexico, the United States, Italy, Spain, and Sweden – have contributed to this effort.