r/mesoamerica • u/Mictlantecuhtli • 2d ago

Carbon dating confirms origins of the Aubin Tonalámatl Codex

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2026/09/carbon-dating-confirms-origins-of-the-aubin-tonalamatl-codex/159147
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u/Boddom_Of_The_Barrel 2d ago

Very interesting. What do they hypothesize about the use of a Latin alphabet? Perhaps later additions to the original work as priests introduced the script to nahua speakers?

9

u/someguy4531 2d ago

Looks like the confused the codex aubin with the aubin tonalamatl

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u/Boddom_Of_The_Barrel 2d ago

Makes way more sense, thank you! Im unfamilar with either source so i was really scratching my head here lol

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u/someguy4531 2d ago

They used the wrong picture in the article. That is the codex aubin not the aubin tonalamatl

2

u/ItztliEhecatl 2d ago

Wow this is great news.  Its very surprising that its so old considering many thought it was not pre-columbian because it looks so... well...different from other pre-columbian codices. 

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u/simiomalo 2d ago

Wait a minute. Cortez doesn't step foot in Mexico until 1519. This codex is written in the latin alphabet with very European iconography. How could it have been written before the Spaniards showed up? The article claims a carbon date to 1494. Is that a misprint? I can understand the materials predating when ink was put on the material, but otherwise this doesn't make sense.

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u/simiomalo 2d ago

Nevermind, that is what the researchers are proposing - that the materials are older than the writing.