Book/Printed Material General History of the Things of New Spain by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún: The Florentine Codex. Book VI: Rhetoric and Moral Philosophy. Libro sesto, de la Rethorica, y philosophia moral, y theologia: de la gente mexicana: donde ay coses muy curiosas tocantes a los primores de su lengua: y cosas muy delicadas tocantes, a las virtudes morales

View 439 images in sequence.

About this Item

Title
General History of the Things of New Spain by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún: The Florentine Codex. Book VI: Rhetoric and Moral Philosophy.
Other Title
Libro sesto, de la Rethorica, y philosophia moral, y theologia: de la gente mexicana: donde ay coses muy curiosas tocantes a los primores de su lengua: y cosas muy delicadas tocantes, a las virtudes morales
Summary
Historia general de las cosas de nueva España (General history of the things of New Spain) is an encyclopedic work about the people and culture of central Mexico compiled by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún (1499--1590), a Franciscan missionary who arrived in Mexico in 1529, eight years after completion of the Spanish conquest by Hernan Cortés. Commonly referred to as the Florentine Codex, the manuscript consists of 12 books devoted to different topics. Book VI is concerned with rhetoric and moral philosophy. It contains texts that Sahagún collected around 1547, in the earliest stage of his research into indigenous culture, from oral recitations by Nahua elders. Known as Huehuetlahtolli (Ancient word), these texts embodied, according to Sahagún, "the rhetoric, moral philosophy, and theology of the Mexican people, in which there are many curious things exhibiting the beauties of the language and very delicate things relating to the moral virtues." Although he was repelled by Aztec religion, Sahagún was deeply impressed by the wisdom and beauty of the ancient texts, and he quotes at length, for example, a talk delivered by a Nahua father to a daughter who has reached the age of reason. An illustration of parents exhorting their children is at folio 80r. In the original binding, Book VI was the beginning of the second volume. It thus opens with a dedication to Rodrigo de Sequera, commissary general of the Franciscan Order and a great admirer of Sahagún's work. A similar dedication originally was placed at the beginning of Book I, but it subsequently was torn out and survives only in a later copy of the codex.
Contributor Names
Sahagún, Bernardino de, 1499-1590 Creator.
Created / Published
[place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1577.
Subject Headings
-  Mexico
-  1300 to 1577
-  Aztec gods
-  Aztecs
-  Codex
-  Ethics
-  Florentine Codex
-  Indians of Mexico
-  Indigenous peoples
-  Mesoamerica
-  Rhetoric
Notes
-  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
-  Original resource extent: Bound as part of volume 2. Ink on paper ; 310 x 212 millimeters.
-  Original resource at: Medicea Laurenziana Library, Florence.
-  Content in Coatepec Nahuatl and Spanish.
-  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
Medium
1 online resource.
Source Collection
Florentine Codex
Digital Id
https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.10617
Library of Congress Control Number
2021667851
Online Format
compressed data
pdf
image
LCCN Permalink
https://lccn.loc.gov/2021667851
Additional Metadata Formats
MARCXML Record
MODS Record
Dublin Core Record
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Manifest (JSON/LD)

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Sahagún, Bernardino De, Creator. General History of the Things of New Spain by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún: The Florentine Codex. Book VI: Rhetoric and Moral Philosophy. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1577] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667851/.

APA citation style:

Sahagún, B. D. (1577) General History of the Things of New Spain by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún: The Florentine Codex. Book VI: Rhetoric and Moral Philosophy. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667851/.

MLA citation style:

Sahagún, Bernardino De, Creator. General History of the Things of New Spain by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún: The Florentine Codex. Book VI: Rhetoric and Moral Philosophy. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1577] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667851/>.

More Books/Printed Material like this