Present Day
Today the codices are studied for their importance to the ethnohistory of the Mixtec and the region. Ethnohistoric data gathered from these codices can be applied and compared with other codices, European writings and records of events, and with the archaeological data of the Post-Classic and Colonial periods. In addition to these other materials, the study of Mixtec codices is supplemented by consulting the Mixtec who live in the areas featured in the writings. Examining the oral traditions associated with the codices provides a more complete understanding of the information and stories they hold, as they were often used for recitations and readings.
During the twentieth century there was a resurgence in traditional writings across Mexico, coinciding with the Mexican Revolution and the emerging theme of national identity and unity. Today, the number of Mixtec speakers is around half a million people, spread across Mexico and the United States. Efforts by linguists, anthropologists, and Mixtecs are helping to preserve the language despite the influences of Spanish and English. Maintenance of the codices and the traditions they represent help modern Mixtecs to preserve and reclaim their historical traditions, and legitimize their culture with a positive identity of indigenous culture.
Read more about this topic: Mixtec Writing
Famous quotes containing the words present and/or day:
“However fiercely opposed one may be to the present order, an old respect for the idea of order itself often prevents people from distinguishing between order and those who stand for order, and leads them in practise to respect individuals under the pretext of respecting order itself.”
—Antonin Artaud (1896–1948)
“Now that is the wisdom of a man, in every instance of his labor, to hitch his wagon to a star, and see his chore done by the gods themselves. That is the way we are strong, by borrowing the might of the elements. The forces of steam, gravity, galvanism, light, magnets, wind, fire, serve us day by day and cost us nothing.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)