The pre-Hispanic history of Mexico is contained in pictorial codices or painted books produced by the Aztecs, the Maya, the Mixtecs, and others. Unfortunately, very few pre-Conquest codices survived the Spanish Conquest. Only about two dozen pre-Columbian Mesoamerican codices have survived the book-burning policies of some native rulers and Spanish conquerors. The tradition of codices continued in colonial times, producing hybrid manuscripts and following the transition of beliefs, styles and techniques.

Curious enough, most of the original manuscripts ended up in private collections and libraries in Europe, where they are up until today. Some of the most important codices are in Italy, at the Vatican library, in Florence and in Bologna. These books, condemned by the inquisition, ended up as treasures of vanished civilizations. The story of the books that survived is very complex as they changed hands and places several times. 

Since the start, different people throughout the years, a palimpsest of voices, styles and oral histories painted each book. The piece is composed of a 10 meter long drawing, based on the codex Borgia, that traveled from Mexico in the XVI century and now it is held at the Vatican library in Italy.

The drawing is animated in a film, which tells, from the point of view of the codex, the different adventures and transformations of the codex, from how it was saved from the flames when the Spanish conquerors tried to burn it, to its journey through the ocean, and the several attempts throughout the centuries to understand its meaning.