Circular Diagrams in the Codex Pérez.: Visual Rhetoric and Intermediality in Colonial Maya cosmograms

Abstract

In this article, I study circular diagrams in the Codex Perez, a document compiled by Juan Pío Pérez during the first half of the 19th century, which included texts from different manuscripts known as the books of Chilam Balam. These images, which represent cosmograms, are studied from different points of view, placing particular emphasis on visual rhetoric as well as on the relationship between text and image. Following an individual examination of each image, questions regarding their origin and function are addressed.