Testeriano denotes catechism manuscripts in a pictographic script
attributed to the Franciscan friar and missionary Jacobo de Testera
(16th century). Writing had already developed in 12th century
Central America as a mixture of ideograms, pictograms and phonetic
symbols, but the original handwritten witnesses thereof were
destroyed in the Spanish Conquest in the 16th century. In order to
communicate with the indigenous population, Christian missionaries
later adopted this writing system, but they invented many symbols
since the goal was to communicate a new, Christian content. For
instance, three crowned heads represent the Trinity and thus God,
while two crowned heads with key and sword represent the apostles
Peter and Paul. The manuscript is read from left to right across
both pages; different parts are separated by decorative vertical
vignettes. The manuscript contains several short prayers (among
them pp. 1v-2r Persignum, 2v-4r Ave Maria, 4v-8r Credo) and a long
prayer (pp. 27v-35r) which represents a repetition of the Christian
doctrine.
