The history of libraries in Latin America dates back to before the conquest of the continent by the Spanish. Although the indigenous peoples of Mexico, Central America, and South America had developed a written language and, in some cases, created libraries and record depositories of their own, library history of the continent tends to focus on post-conquest institutions. This article will discuss the history of libraries in Latin America.
Mexico and Central America
Pre-Conquest
The Aztecs, Maya, Mixtec, Olmec, Purépecha, and Zapotecs had all developed written language prior to the Spanish Conquest. It is important to note that although numerous cultures in the region had developed writing systems, only the Maya had developed a phonetic language. Although numerous types of writing surfaces were used, such as stone, bone, metal, and ceramics, the most famous surviving artifacts are the codices. As in other regions, codices were made from long strips of material folded into an accordion shape; in this region, bark from the amate tree, agave fibers, and/or animal hides were used as paper, and the codices were protected by wooden covers. The Nahuatl codices (containing works from the Aztecs, Maya, and Mixtecs, among other tribes in the Nahua language family), are the most famous of these. Codices were used to record a variety of types of information, including astronomical knowledge, religious calendars, genealogies of the ruling families, cartography, and tribute collection. Temples and schools were the first "libraries" in the region, as this is where the codices were stored and used as educational materials.
Maya Libraries
During the Golden Period of Maya Civilization also called the Classic Period (250–900 AD), the Maya were believed to have large libraries filled with books. By the end of the Maya Classic Period it is assumed that Maya libraries housed thousands of books, written on bark paper or deer skin. These libraries contained codices that covered important subjects such as genealogy, astronomy, rituals, information about plants and animals, medical knowledge, and history.
Aztec/Mexica' Records
It was said that the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, had become such "a splendid city that, according to records, it dazzled the Spaniards." The Aztecs had an advanced prosperous civilization. Though it is speculated that the Aztecs had libraries, not much is known about where the Aztecs actually kept their records. Conquistador and eyewitness Bernal Diaz mentions seeing a "whole house filled with large books" in Tenochtitlan. There was also mention of a library that belonged to Netzahualcoyotl in Tetzcoco with books from other Mesoamerican civilizations and one in Xochimilco. Through surviving codices and accounts from Spaniards, it is known that the Aztec, kept records on facets of life, including events, genealogical histories, practices, math, land ownership, maps, and civil and criminal laws. In fact, at the time of the conquest, the Aztecs had just begun to codify their [customary] laws into a more formal written form." The Aztecs collected information in the form of glyphs or picture and images on books (called amoxtli in the Nahuatl language). The Aztec codices, in keeping with other Mesoamerica codices, were folded into 'screenfold' style and bounded so that readers could view many pages at once. The bounded books were made from deer hide and agave plants. Though the Aztecs kept records some of the books that the Aztecs possessed where in fact "biased Aztec version of history". "The Aztecs had previously tried to wipe out Mayan culture and traditions" in order to be seen as the dominant empire. Though there is not much to share about where exactly the Aztec kept their books, whether it was in one large library or several storage areas, "hundreds of indigenous books were in use in Mesoamerica" before the arrival of conquistadors.