| By A.D. 1300, a representational art style had been widely adopted throughout central and southern México that has been termed "Mixteca-Puebla" after the geographical area in which it reached its highest manifestation. The style is exemplified by a series of surviving painted books called codices as well as lavish polychrome pottery and other works of art. The codices were made of animal hide and covered with a gesso-like foundation upon which the figures were painted. They were folded so that they could either be stored compactly or opened to reveal all of the pages of one side.
Differences in content, ritualism, and style among the codices have led to the determination of two separate manuscript groups called the Mixtec Group, and the Borgia Group, named for the most famous work which once belonged to a renowned Italian family. |
