Tonalámatl de Aubin
Subtitle: manuscrito pictórico mexicano que se conserva en la Biblioteca Nacional de París
Contributors: Bibliothʹeque nationale de France
Publisher: Librería Anticuaria [de] G.M. Echániz
Published: 1938
Place of publication: México, D.F
Language: nah
Number of pages: 638
Subjects: Tlaxcalan Manuscripts; Facsimiles; Manuscripts, Mexican (Pre-Columbian); Tlaxcalan calendar; Aztec calendar; Indians of Mexico; Languages; Writing; Antiquities; Tonalámatl de Aubin
Other titles: Codex Aubin; Kalendario idolatrico en 16 f.
Work titles: Tonalámatl de Aubin
Notes: "Edición limitada de veinticinco ejemplares."

Handcolored.

Hand-painted facsimile of ms. in the National Library of France (1 sheet, accordion fold. into 20 leaves of plates : col. ill. ; 24 x 567 cm.) Numbered leaves preceded by an unnumbered leaf bearing the Spanish title: Kalendario idolatrico en 16 f. No. 23 - Inv. 6.

A tonal-amatl is not a calendar proper, but a "book of fate" or "book of (good and evil) days," by means of which the soothsayer predicted the fate of men. It is based upon the Mexican chronological system of 20 periods of 13 days each represented by various deities and symbols. The original ms. consists of 13 pieces of Mexican agave-paper (ca. 50 x 23.5 cm. each) glued together to form a continuous strip of 522.5 cm., folded into 19 leaves of 27.5 cm., and (with the exception of the last leaf) covered on the inner side with paintings of Mexican deities and symbols.

The main deity governing the period is represented in the upper left hand quarter of each leaf, 52 small squares cover the remaining space with the names of the deities or symbols entered in the corresponding squares. The first two leaves [nos. 1-2] are lost. In the present edition the ms. is reproduced on 20 plates (26 x 29 cm.) numbered 3-20 and preceded by the last (blank) leaf, which with the notice entered on the original in 1743 and here reproduced ("Kalendario idolatrico en 16 f. nr. 23. Ynv.0-6 0") serves as front cover.

Size in field 300, subfield c is dimension of folded, unbound facsim.