1. History
This book was the work of the
indigenous doctor Martin de la Cruz
originally from Santiago Tlatelolco, who
wrote some remedies against diseases,
probably was registered in Nahuatl
language and later a student at the
College of Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco
would translate into Latin, the book
was completed on July 22, 1553.
This written originally named Libellus
Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis was
made as a request of Don Francisco de
Mendoza, son of Viceroy of New Spain
as a gift for King Carlos V, as we can see
the dedicatory on the first page.
Characteristics
This codex has a book format, each
page has plant drawings that shape
this herbalist. There is a huge
diversity of recipes explained and
the correct form of being used; all
this together in 13 chapters where it
can be found a lot of plants, animal,
and mineral remedies.
Although the codex was made in a
European format, it be can
appreciate some characteristics of
the prehispanic codex.
What is it?
The Libellus de medicinalibus indorum
herbis (Book on the medicinal herbs of
indigenous peoples), also known as
Codex De la Cruz-Badiano, Codex Badian
or Codex Barberini, is the first treatise
that describes the healing properties of
American plants used by the Mexica.
This book was the playwork of the
indigenous doctor Martín de la Cruz,
originally from Santiago Tlatelolco and
associated with the Colegio de la Santa
Cruz de Tlatelolco, who dictated more
remedies against diseases and was
initially registered in Nahuatl and later,
the Xochimilca Juan Badiano, a student
at the Colegio de la Santa Cruz de
Tlatelolco, would translate into Latin.
This work was completed on July 22,
1553.
Represented
Represented with detailed and colorful
plant illustrations, it appeared in the
Vatican Library in 1925, after centuries of
apparent lost. The Codex has 13
chapters. Each chapter refers to diseases
of parts of the body, starting from the
head to the feet through the eyes, ears,
nose, teeth, cheeks, chest, stomach and
knees, they describe the remedies
against fatigue, with general diseases,
mental diseases, those related to the air,
problems related to childbirth, the
diseases of women, those of children, to
end the signs of the proximity of death.
How many plants
exist in the Codex
Badian?
The Codex Badiano refers to 227
medicinal plants, of which there are
185 images. Another 64 are only
mentioned by name. There are some
plants that are repeated. The codex
images do not allow all plants to be
correctly identified.
Examples
We can find some of these plants in
the codex:
·Acamallotetl
·Atochietl
·Atzitzicaztli
·Ayauhquahuitl
·Axocotl
·Te-amoxtli
·Teo-iztaquilitl
by
Ernesto
A.L.
&
Frisa
Ocaranza
A.
"AKA BARBERINI CODEX"
