Pre-Columbian manuscripts

Pre-Columbian manuscripts are written texts created by indigenous peoples of the Americas before Christopher Columbus's arrival in 1492. These manuscripts include codices, painted on materials like bark or deerskin, that depict religious rituals, cosmology, history, and social practices. Notable examples include Mayan and Aztec codices, which feature elaborate glyphs and images. Many of these manuscripts were lost or destroyed during colonization, making surviving ones valuable for understanding indigenous cultures. They are important historical and cultural artifacts that provide insight into the sophisticated civilizations that thrived in the Americas long before European contact.