Antiquities of Mexico is a compilation of facsimile reproductions of
Mesoamerican literature such as
Maya codices,
Mixtec codices, and
Aztec codices as well as historical accounts and explorers' descriptions of archaeological ruins. It was assembled and published by
Edward King, Lord Kingsborough, in the early decades of the 19th century. While much of the material pertains to
pre-Columbian cultures, there are also documents relevant to studies of the
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Antiquities of Mexico was produced to make copies of rare manuscripts in European collections available for study by scholars.
The work consists of nine volumes, each published in a large
elephant folio format. It was originally planned as ten, but Lord Kingsborough died before the full work could be completed.
Kingsborough commissioned the Italian landscape painter
Agostino Aglio to furnish the reproduction drawings and
lithographs of the
Mesoamerican artworks and codices used to illustrate the volumes. Born in
Cremona and resident in
London since 1803, Aglio had previously illustrated antiquities of
Ancient Egypt and
Magna Græcia on behalf of the English architect
William Wilkins. Aglio spent the better part of six years travelling to the libraries and museums of Europe to examine and draw all of the "Ancient Mexican" documents, artefacts and manuscripts known in European collections of the time.
Many of the facsimiles of codices are hand-colored.
References
Kingsborough, Edward; King, Viscount (1830–1848). Antiquities of Mexico: comprising fac-similes of ancient Mexican paintings and hieroglyphics, preserved in the royal libraries of Paris, Berlin and Dresden, in the Imperial library of Vienna, in the Vatican library; in the Borgian museum at Rome; in the library of the Institute at Bologna; and in the Bodleian library at Oxford. Together with the Monuments of New Spain, by M. Dupaix: with their respective scales of measurement and accompanying descriptions. The whole illustrated by many valuable inedited manuscripts, by Augustine Aglio. London: A. Aglio (Vols. 1–5), R. Havell (Vols. 6–7), H.G. Bohn (Vols. 8–9).
OCLC5852094.
Wason, Charles William (1831). "Art. VIII.— Antiquities of Mexico; comprising Fac-similes of Ancient Mexican Paintings and Hieroglyphics, preserved in the Royal Libraries of Paris, Berlin and Dresden; in the Imperial Library of Vienna; in the Vatican Library; in the Borgian Museum at Rome; in the Library of the Institute at Bologna; and in the Bodleian Library at Oxford: together with the Monuments of New Spain, by M. Dupaix, with their respective Scales of Measurement, and accompanying Descriptions. The whole illustrated by many valuable inedited Manuscripts. By Augustus Aglio". The Monthly Review. From January to April inclusive, vol. 1. New and improved series. London: G. Henderson. pp. 253–274.
OCLC64054239.