A STUM OF THE MANUSCRIPT TROANO. 



BY CYRUS THOMAS. 



CHAPTER I. 

 THE MANUSCRIPT AND ITS CHARACTER. 



This manuscript was found about the year 1866,^ at Madrid, Spain, by 

 the Abbe Brasseur de Bourboui-g, while on a visit to the hbrary of the 

 Royal Historical Acadenn^, and named by him "Manuscript Troano," in 

 honor of its possessor, Don Juan de Tro y Ortolano. 



So far as I am aware, nothing more is known in reference to its history; 

 we are not even informed by its last owner where or how he obtained it. 

 In ordinary cases this would be sufficient to arouse our suspicions as to its 

 genuineness, but in this case the work itself is sufficient to dispel all such 

 suspicions, a fact which will become apparent to the reader before reaching 

 the end of the j^resent paper. 



This work was reproduced m facsimile by a chromolithographic process, 

 by the Commission Scietitijique clii Mexique under the auspices of the Fi-ench 

 Government, Brasseur being the editor. 



The original is written on a strip of Maguey paper about 14 feet long 

 and y inches wide, the surface of which is covered with a white paint or 

 varnish, on which the characters and figures are painted in black, red, blue, 

 and brown It is folded fan-like into thirtj'-five folds, presenting, when 

 these are pressed together, the appearance of an ordinary octavo volume. 

 The hieroglyphics and figures cover both sides of the paper, forming 

 seventy pages; the writing and painting of the figures having been ex- 



1 I cannot find that the exact date of the discovery is given anywhere. Bancroft says "about 

 1885," but a careful examination of Brasseur's Introduction satisfies mo it was at least as late as 18G6. 

 1 M T 



