Scientists, led by Dr Katarzyna Mikulska from the Faculty of Modern Languages ​​at the University of Warsaw (UW), prepared a scientific publication of a pre-Columbian manuscript, kept in the Vatican Library. The work is one of the most important research projects that have been carried out so far as part of Polish-Mexican cooperation. 

The “Vatican B Codex” is a document from the Borgia Codes group that contains richly illustrated information about the Aztec’s 260-day calendar – tonalpohualli. The Codes are books about ancient Mexico including histories, genealogies, rituals and beliefs of the indigenous people of Mesoamerica.

“Vatican Code B (Vat. Lat. 3773)” is a book of divination. It is composed of almanacs concerning days of birth, marriage, birth, agricultural almanacs, and weather. It is primarily a document that presents information about divine forces that affect specific days or periods, determining actions that can be taken then – says Dr Katarzyna Mikulska from the Institute of Iberian and Ibero-American Studies at the University of Warsaw, head of the international project.