Codices are Mesoamerican hieroglyphic books. They are pictorial and used to describe many different things, such as history, marriages, genealogy and more. The Mayans, Aztecs and Mixtecs all drew Codices. Many Codices did not survive the Spanish Conquistador period, some that did were given European names, i.e. Codex Laud is named after an Englishman. The surviving codices tell us a great deal about Mesoamerican culture, history and way of life.
From the guide to the Mesoamerican Codices Collection, (New Mexico History Museum, Fray Angélico Chávez History Library)