Durán Codex
The Catholic friar Diego Durán
Diego Durán (1537–1588 A.D.) was a Catholic Dominican friar who was the author "The History of the Indies of New Spain", also known as the Durán Codex, one of the earliest books on the history and culture of the Aztecs. The History of the Indies of New Spain is also known as the Durán Codex. Diego Durán compiled all of the Aztec information that was avaiable to him and produced "The History of the Indies of New Spain", in 1581 A.D.
Diego Durán (1537–1588 A.D.) was a Catholic Dominican friar who was the author "The History of the Indies of New Spain", also known as the Durán Codex, one of the earliest books on the history and culture of the Aztecs. The History of the Indies of New Spain is also known as the Durán Codex. Diego Durán compiled all of the Aztec information that was avaiable to him and produced "The History of the Indies of New Spain", in 1581 A.D.
Diego Durán was fluent in Nahuatl, the Aztec language, and was therefore able to communicate with the natives and understane Aztec codices as well as work done by earlier friars. His empathetic nature allowed him to gain the confidence of many native people who would not share their stories with Europeans, and was able to document many previously unknown folktales and legends and gather information that make his work unique.
The "History of the Indies of New Spain", sometimes referred to as the "Durán Codex", contains seventy-eight chapters spanning from the Aztec creation story until after Spanish conquest of Mexico, and includes a chronology of Aztec kings.
The Durán Codex was unpublished or available to the world until the 19th century, when it was found in the Library of Madrid by José Fernando Ramírez. (Wikipedia & other Sources)
"Diego Durán ventured into the villages frequently to converse with the natives there. The Catholic friar Diego Durán was able to observe native customs and "to search for ancient documents, particularly the lost Holy Scriptures".
These "lost Holy Scriptures" were search for because the Aztecs already had information contained in the Bible. Therefore some of the early Catholic friars believed that "Saint Thomas had visited and taught the Aztecs" (Heyden xxvi-xxvii). (Wikipedia 2014, Diego Durán) (And other Sources)
The History of the Indies of New Spain, by Diego Durán
Habitantes del Estado del Salvador, por Juaquin Durán, by Diego Durán