Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis

Badianus

Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis (Latin for "Little Book of the Medicinal Herbs of the Indians") is a 16th-century herbal manuscript that documents the medicinal practices and knowledge of the Aztecs. The manuscript is also known as the Badianus Manuscript after its translator, Juan Badiano.

History

The Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis was created in 1552 by Martín de la Cruz, an indigenous Aztec physician, and translated into Latin by Juan Badiano, an indigenous student at the College of Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco. The manuscript was commissioned by the Spanish authorities to document the medicinal knowledge of the indigenous people of Mexico.

Content

The manuscript contains detailed descriptions of various medicinal plants and their uses. It includes illustrations of the plants, their Aztec names, and their applications in treating different ailments. The text is divided into sections based on the types of diseases and the corresponding remedies.

Significance

The Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis is significant for several reasons:

• It provides a valuable insight into the ethnobotany and traditional medicine of the Aztecs.
• It is one of the earliest examples of a herbal manuscript from the New World.
• It highlights the interaction between indigenous knowledge and European scientific practices during the early colonial period.

Preservation

The original manuscript is preserved in the Vatican Library under the catalog number Codex Barberini, Latin 241. It has been studied and translated by various scholars over the years, contributing to the understanding of Aztec medicinal practices.

See also

• Aztec medicine
• Herbalism
• Ethnobotany
• Traditional medicine
• College of Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco