General History of the Things of New Spain

In Mexico, with the help of indigenous co-workers, the Franciscan missionary Bernardino de Sahagún produced an encyclopaedia of the Náhua culture, The General History of the Things of New Spain (Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España), from which this reproduction has been made. In twelve books it treats, among other topics, the Aztec religion, culture, inorganic and organic nature, and history. The bi-lingual work with numerous coloured illustrations gives a comprehensive description and illustration of the New World.

Bernardino de Sahagún (1499–1590), bi-lingual explanations and hand coloured illustrations of Mexican fauna, 16th century; source: Litterscheid, Claus (ed.): Aus der Welt der Azteken: Die Chronik des Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, Frankfurt am Main 1989, p. XX–XXI. With kind permission of the Insel Verlag.