Aztec codex returns to Mexico on loan
Aztec document goes on display in Mexico after 186 years abroad
Friday, 18 September 2026
Warm-up
- What museums have you visited? What did you see there?
- What old objects from your country are you proud of?
- How can countries share art and history fairly?
Vocabulary
- manuscript
- A document written by hand, often very old and valuable.
- codex
- An old book made from pages, not a scroll, often from ancient times.
- lend
- To give something to someone for a time and expect it back.
- exhibit
- To show something in public, for example in a museum.
- pictogram
- A simple picture that shows a word or idea.
- migration
- The movement of people from one place to another to live.
- homeland
- The place where a group or a person comes from originally.
- repatriate
- To return something or someone to their home country.
Reading
A centuries-old manuscript about the Aztec civilisation is back in Mexico for a special show. Codex Azcatitlán left the country 186 years ago. France's Bibliothèque Nationale has kept it since 1898.
The codex uses pictograms to show life, the arrival of Spanish conquistadors, and the fall of Tenochtitlán. Experts think artists drew it in the 16th Century.
France agreed to lend Codex Azcatitlán to mark 200 years of Franco-Mexican relations. In return, Mexico will lend the Codex Boturini to France. Its pictograms tell the migration of the Aztecs, also called the Mexica, from their homeland to Lake Texcoco, where they built Tenochtitlán.
The National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City will exhibit Codex Azcatitlán from Thursday. Mexico says more than 2,000 objects were repatriated last year.
Comprehension
- Where has Codex Azcatitlán been kept since 1898?
- What does Codex Azcatitlán use to tell its stories?
- Which codex will Mexico lend to France in return?
- Where will Codex Azcatitlán be exhibited in Mexico?
- How many objects were repatriated last year, according to Mexico?
Grammar focus
Past simple
Use the past simple for finished actions. Regular verbs add -ed (cleaned). Irregular verbs change (buy → bought).
- Codex Azcatitlán **left** the country 186 years ago.
- France **agreed** to lend Codex Azcatitlán.
Grammar exercise
Complete the sentences with the past simple form of the verb in brackets.
- Last night the storm (damage) ___ several roofs.
- In 2019 the village (start) ___ a small market.
- The museum (open) ___ its new room in March.
- Last winter the lake (freeze) ___ for three weeks.
- Last April the family (buy) ___ a small boat.
Discussion
- Should countries lend important artefacts to each other? Why or why not?
- What would you most like to see in a museum?
- How can museums explain difficult history in simple ways?
- What does sharing objects teach us about other cultures?
Vocabulary, reading, and exercises with instant feedback