Originally written in the Aztec language, Nahuatl, in 1552, this classic codex was the first herbal and medical text compiled in the New World. The author of this extraordinarily rare and valuable document was Martin de la Cruz, an Aztec physician, whose work was subsequently translated into Latin by an Aztec nobleman, Juan Badiano. The book was translated into English in 1939 by William Gates.

In these pages are centuries-old Aztec remedies for boils, hair loss, cataracts, insomnia, sore throats, hiccups, gout, lesions, wounds, joint diseases, tumors, and scores of other ailments. Over 180 black-and-white figures of the plants augment the text, along with 38 full-color illustrations made especially for the Gates edition. Additional supplements include an introduction to the Mexican botanical system, an analytical index of the plants, and a new Introduction by anthropologist Bruce Byland of the City University of New York.

Remarkable for its scope, detail, careful observation, and accurate description, An Aztec Herbal stands as a magnificent example of teh impressive medical knowledge of indigenous peoples. This handsome and inexpensive edition of a long-unavailable work promises to engender a new appreciation of teh skill and inventiveness of Aztec medical practices in particular and of Native American science in general.

Dover (2000) unabridged republication of The De la Cruz-Badiano Aztec Herbal of 1552, published by The Maya Society, Baltimore, MAryland, 1939. Analytical Index to Plants. New Introduction to the Dover Edition by Bruce Byland, Department of Anthropology, Lehman College, and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Over 180 black-and-white illustrations; 38 full-color illustrations on inside covers.