Aztec script
| Aztec | |
|---|---|
| Script type | Pictographic and logosyllabic
|
| Creator | The Nahua peoples |
Period | Most extant manuscripts from the 16th century |
| Direction | Top-to bottom, left-to right |
| Languages | Nahuatl |
| Related scripts | |
Sister systems | Mixtec |
The Aztec or Nahuatl script is a pre-Columbian writing system that combines ideographic writing with Nahuatl specific phonetic logograms and syllabic signs which was used in central Mexico by the Nahua people in the Epiclassic and Post-classic periods. It was originally thought that its use was reserved for elites; however, the topographical codices and early colonial catechisms, recently deciphered, were used by tlacuilos (scribes), macehuallis (peasants), and pochtecas (merchants).