Some 30 manuscripts survive. It is clear that Alfonso's political activity and his literary production go hand in hand. He was aware from the start that the realization of his ideals as monarch depended on a national unity that could only be achieved through the creation of a national culture. A corpus of considerable artistic unity, the 430 miracles are interspersed at regular intervals with short lyrics in praise of the Virgin. This variety would seem to be attested to in the illuminations themselves.
Much debate revolves around the debt to Arabic models and melodies.
A large staff of by and large anonymous musicians, scribes, caligraphers and artists was employed to compile and illustrate the manuscripts, inscribe the captions that explain the scenes depicted in the individual panels and provide the musical accompaniment and its notation. Each facet of the multimedia opus was a collaborative undertaking. It is thought that as well as being placed on display, the Cantigas were likely performed, thus reaching a wider audience. El libro de Ajedrez, dados, e tablas .