One of the most important surviving visual records of Aztec history has returned to Mexico for the first time in nearly two centuries.

The Codex Azcatitlan, a rare manuscript documenting the history of the Mexica people, is now on display at Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology after being loaned to Mexico by the National Library of France.

The manuscript left Mexico in 1840, meaning this is the first time it has been displayed in the country in 186 years.

More Than 400 Years of History on Paper

Created in the late 16th or early 17th century, the Codex Azcatitlan combines traditional Mesoamerican pictograms with European-style writing.

Its pages tell an extraordinary story.

The codex traces the Mexica migration from the legendary Aztlán to the founding of Tenochtitlan — the great capital built where Mexico City stands today.

It also documents the succession of Mexica rulers, major events during their reigns, the arrival of the Spanish, the conquest of Tenochtitlan and the evangelization that followed.

The manuscript contains 20 folios and is considered one of the most significant visual accounts of this period of Mexican history.

How Did It End Up in France?

The Codex Azcatitlan was taken from Mexico to Paris in 1840 by French scholar Joseph Marius Alexis Aubin.

It later became part of the collection of Franco-Mexican collector Eugène Goupil before eventually entering the collection of France’s national library, where it has remained for more than a century.

Its journey has made the codex part of a much larger international conversation surrounding cultural artifacts that left their countries of origin during previous centuries.

Back Home — But Only Temporarily

Despite its historic return, the Codex Azcatitlan has not been permanently returned to Mexico.

It is in the country as part of a cultural exchange between Mexico and France marking 200 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

While France has sent the Codex Azcatitlan to Mexico, Mexico is lending France another important historical document: the Codex Boturini, which also chronicles the migration of the Mexica people from Aztlán toward the Valley of Mexico.

The exchange was agreed upon by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and French President Emmanuel Macron in 2025.

A Connection to Mexico’s Indigenous Heritage

The return carries particular significance for Indigenous communities.

According to Mexico’s Culture Ministry, the effort to bring the codex back was initially pushed by the Hñähñu community of Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo, highlighting the connection between historical manuscripts and the living communities that continue to identify with the cultures they document.

The exhibition goes beyond the manuscript itself.

Visitors will also be able to see 25 archaeological and ethnographic objects, along with reproductions of other important Mesoamerican manuscripts, helping place the Codex Azcatitlan within the broader story of Indigenous Mexican history.

A Rare Opportunity

For generations of Mexicans, the Codex Azcatitlan has existed thousands of kilometres away in France.

Now, 186 years after leaving the country, one of the most remarkable visual records of Mexico’s past is once again being seen on Mexican soil.

The Codex Azcatitlan will remain on display at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City until December 6, 2026.

Admission to the exhibition is free.