Ideas for COLOURING IN...

Codex Magliabechiano manta designs

The Codex Magliabechiano - written after the Spanish Conquest, and now held in the main city library (Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze) in Florence, Italy - contains several pages of graphic Aztec designs for ‘mantas’ (woven rugs). (Written/compiled by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)

By combining material from two publications relating to the Codex, we've adapted a couple of examples for you to use as the basis for colouring-in activities in schools. The first source is the fine facsimile edition of the original published by ADEVA (Graz, Austria) in 1970. The second is a small, little-known book written by Irene Nicholson, called Firefly in the Night: A Study of Ancient Mexican Poetry and Symbolism, published 50 years ago by Faber and Faber, which contains some fine b/w line drawings by Abel Mendoza.

We present here a couple of b/w illustrations by the Mexican artist Abel Mendoza based on originals in the Codex Magliabechiano: one is a rug design called 'The black sun', the other a ritual procession, led by the blower of a large conch trumpet, in which two men bear an impersonator of the Aztec god of music and dance, Xochipilli.

Download our activity sheets based on these two motifs from the Codex Magliabechiano, arm yourself with a squad of colouring pens, and start having fun...! Click on the PDF icons below.

NOTE that we’ve flagged up several good colouring-in books in our little BOOKS feature (link below). Cheapest and best would have to be the British Museum Activity Book by Penny Bateman, but do try and get the one we recommend at the top of this page...

Our BOOKS feature For some serious colouring in, try these ‘YE GODS! THE AZTEC ICONS’ by Richard Balthazar