Preparing a Corpse for Burial

Preparing a Corpse for Burial

Collection: Florentine Codex book 3
Location: Laurentian Library of Florence
Date: 1499-1590
Author: Fray Bernardino de Sahagún

When an ‘average’ person died of a natural death, there were steps to be followed so the spirit may best pass along to the next life. First, their eyes were closed, and a vase of water was poured over their head. This process shows the cycle of life as it was believed to be; death was the return to the “watery womb of Earth”. They were dressed to match their job and social status. Lower class members were buried, most often beneath or around their homes, wrapped in amate, the park from a fig tree that was made into cloth-like paper. However, the higher up the social hierarchy, the more likely it was that they were to be cremated. The burial procedure of nobles and kings often also included finer cloaks to wrap the body.