Viola König Bücher

Lienzo Seler II, a complex pictographic document from the sixteenth century, measures 383 by 442 cm and originates from the Northern Mixteca region in Oaxaca, Mexico. Commissioned by an indigenous lord of Coixtlahuaca after the Spanish conquest, this large and visually stunning work recounts the noble lineage's deep past, illustrating a continuous rule and defining the territory's present and future. By retelling their history, the document validates the ruler's political rights and reaffirms control over ancestral lands. The Mixtec-Chocho painter-scribes depicted the evolving perceptions of space in Mesoamerica during the transition from pre-Hispanic to colonial eras, employing a new map format while retaining ancient symbols. Covering over 500 years of events, the Lienzo was acquired in 1897 by German scholar Eduard Seler from Mexican historian Manuel Martínez Gracida and is currently housed in the Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin. Recent extensive analysis and a systematic photographic survey have resulted in the images presented in the first section of the volume, followed by eleven essays from international scholars. These contributions explore various aspects of the document, including its physical biography, collectors, and thematic elements like 'Space and Place,' 'The Sacred Land,' and 'The Elite’s Legacy.'