The Mayan Dresden Codex

*A jewel of humanity's heritage and one of the most fascinating treasures of history

Skip to product information
1 of 9
Regular price $180.00
Regular price Sale price $180.00
Sale Sold out
Tax included.
View full details

Each deluxe limited edition contains:

+Facsimile of the original of 78 sheets folded in accordion form, with a total extended length of 3.56 meters.
+Consulting facsimile of the original, retouched and colored, with a total extended length of 3.56 meters.
+Hardcover book with dust jacket and gold embossed lettering.
+Handmade methacrylate case composed of two pieces of methacrylate 2 cm thick. The two plates are held together by four gold-plated screws. Each is numbered with a gold plate from 0001 to 1739.

Now $180* / After $280

*SAVE $100 TODAY.

RECEIVE IT IN A FEW DAYS.
See our customers' opinions and comments on social networks, below.

The Mayan Dresden Codex

The Dresden Codex is one of the oldest and most complete pre-Columbian Maya manuscripts known. This 78-page book, written over 1000 years ago, will take you on an unparalleled journey through Mayan culture and religion.

This codex, written in a combination of hieroglyphics and drawings, is believed to have been created around the 11th century and was used to record the astronomical and religious knowledge of the Maya. It includes information on lunar and solar cycles, astrology and the ceremony of human sacrifice.

In addition, the codex also contains information on mythology and the creation of the universe according to Maya culture, as well as details on agriculture, fishing and other aspects of daily life.

This book has been the subject of great interest by historians and archaeologists, as it provides a fascinating window into the culture of the Maya and their complex belief system. Because of its antiquity and its historical and cultural value, the Dresden Codex is considered an invaluable piece of humanity’s heritage.

It is one of the four Maya codices preserved in the world. It is said to be the most complete and curious.

Why is it called the Dresden Codex?

It is named after the place where it is located, in the library of the German city of Dresden, but this manuscript was written by the Maya before the Spanish colonization of America, apparently in the eleventh or twelfth century. It is also believed that at least part of the manuscript is a copy of an older one, since two different types of signs from different periods are used.

How was it done?

It was made from crushed ficus bark and covered with a lime paste. It was written by up to six different scribes. Of the 78 pages, 39 leaves are written on both sides and its length exceeds 3 and a half meters, originally folded in the shape of an accordion. Each leaf measures 20.5 cm. high and 10.0 cm. wide. The pages are framed by red lines. Numbers, hieroglyphs and figures are depicted in the Codex. Thanks to this spectacular manuscript it has been possible to decipher some of the symbols of the Mayan writing. So far, 250 of the 350 symbols have been decoded. Its astronomical tables are of great precision and it is famous for its lunar series and its Venus table. It also contains almanacs and ritual timetables. The images are of great quality, painted with fine brushes and colors extracted from vegetables.

History. The Codex in time.

About its transit through the centuries, it is said that the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortes sent it to Charles I, among other treasures. The King took it to Vienna, where he had one of his residences. It is known to have been given in 1739 by a person who owned it in his private collection to Johann Christian Goetze, director of the Royal Library of Saxony in Dresden at the time, who donated it to the Library.

Unfortunately, the Codex was partially damaged in World War II.  The damage was caused by the water used to extinguish the fires produced in the bombing of the city of Dresden, seeping into the metal box where it was kept, but fortunately it was not destroyed. It is currently the only Codex Maya on public display, in the Treasure Chamber (with armored steel walls and a steel door with gold embossing) in the State Library of Dresden (Germany).

Chapters of the Codex.

The Codex consists of 10 chapters1-Introduction (presentation of the 20 most important gods, sacrifices, etc.); 2-Almanacs of the gods, diseases, cures, etc.; 3-Table of Venus; 4-Table of solar and lunar eclipses; 5-Table of multiplying by the number 78 (the reason for making it with this number is unknown); 6-Table of K’atun (period of 20 years with which the times of droughts and earthquakes were calculated); 7-Serpent numbers and pillars of the universe (the same words are used as in the inscriptions of the classic period in the Mayan cities of Palenque and Tikal; 8-The great flood (representation of a disaster); 9-Ceremonies of the beginning of the new year and 10-Almanaque for agriculture.

THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION INCLUDES

*Facsimile of the original: 78 sheets folded in accordion form, with a total extended length of 3.56 meters.

A jewel of humanity’s heritage and one of the most fascinating treasures of history. The most beautiful and oldest of the three Mayan codices

*Facsimile of the original retouched and colored, with a total extended length of 3.56 meters.

Perfect as a reference, to avoid damaging the original or to frame it and decorate your spaces with a jewel of antiquity.

Hardcover book with dust jacket and gold embossed lettering.

Experts and admirers of the Codex unravel its secrets and make us experience the emotion of traveling in time and space, in an unparalleled journey through the ancient Mayan civilization, its culture and religion.

*Handmade Methacrylate Case

All the elements of the collection are presented in a spectacular case, handmade and composed of two pieces of methacrylate 2 cm thick. Each one of them is numbered from 0001 to 1739.

  • ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

    “Alejandra. This is the second Galobart Book I have purchased. The first one was 300 Years of Color. I was so impressed by this facsimile that when I saw the Dresden Codex being offered I immediately ordered one. I just received it. As an artist, this book is a revelation! The art work is stunning! It is well crafted and I have been going through it every day. I have ordered another facsimile and eagerly await its arrival. Also, customer service is excellent, all of my emails promptly responded to. Great products, great books, great service”.

    Ken Weiner
    Nueva Jersey. USA

  • ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

    “Received my copy of the Mayan Dresden Codex today. 
    Absolutely first class. I am completely thrilled by it. 
    Thank you”.

    Simon Crawford
    New Hampshire. Usa

  • ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

    “I purchased the Dresden Mayan Codex not knowing what i would receive.  Sometimes we purchase collectible book only to be disappointed or lose it on a shelf for years. What I received was wonderful. I was most surprised by the presentation that arrived with the Codex. It comes with a wonderful plexiglass cover display with brass screws that is very well thought out. This helps preserve the investment and is a aesthetic table display.
    It helps preserve the Codex which are 2 folded fans that open up and spread out mysteriously, so you can stretch it out on a long table. There is also a nice centerpiece book with history and description sitting between the 2 Mayan codices.  Overall it blew away my expectations ! This group put a lot of time and thought into this production”.

    Dave Steel
    Pennsylvania.Usa

  • ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

    “I have already received it. A beauty. A wonderful edition.
    Thank you very much for everything.
    Best regards”.

    Javier P. Ardura
    Madrid. Spain

  • ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

    “The Maya Dresden Codex Dresden should not only be understood as a collection of material for writing research; the individual pages belong to the most beautiful pictorial documents of the Maya and Ancient America that have survived at all.”

    F. Anders
    University of Vienna

  • ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

    “According to early Spanish sources, the Maya books contained historical accounts, prophecies, chants, science’ and genealogies; our present three works, however, are of a purely ritual astronomical character. They were written in the northern zone during the Postclassic period. The Dresden codex is the best of the three.”

    M. D. Coe
    The Maya, Bergisch Gladbach 

  • ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

    “The Dresden Codex … is justly considered the most beautiful and oldest of the three Maya codices because of the delicacy of its lines, the careful execution of the mythological figures depicted, and the impressive use of color.”

    H. Deckert
    Maya-Handschrift der Sächsischen Landesbibliothek Dresden, Berlin 

  • ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

    “The Codex Dresdensis is the only one of the preserved Maya manuscripts that reports in detail on the astronomical knowledge of the Maya and is the only written source at all from pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica for this subject area.”

    B. Riese
    Journal of Ethnology

You Might Also Like

1 of 10

CONTACT US FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE