Mexico’s codex exhibition revives Indigenous calls for cultural heritage
The return of the Codex Azcatitlan to Mexico for a temporary exhibition has renewed Indigenous communities’ demands for the permanent repatriation of historical manuscripts held in France.
Displayed at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City for the first time since leaving the country in 1840, the 50-page codex recounts the Mexica people’s migration from Aztlan to the founding of Tenochtitlan and the early years of Spanish colonisation. Members of the Hñähñu, or Otomi, community in Hidalgo say recovering it, along with the Codex Borbonicus, would help them understand and preserve their ancestral history and traditions.
Although the Azcatitlan manuscript has returned temporarily through a cultural exchange, community members say this is not enough. Mexico and France are holding talks on the possible repatriation of the Codex Borbonicus, which is held by the French National Assembly. Indigenous representatives say bringing the manuscripts home would strengthen cultural identity and help younger generations reconnect with their heritage, ahead of the New Fire ceremony scheduled for 2027.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
