Bishop Diego de Landa ordered the burning of Maya hieroglyphic books in Mani, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, deeming them idolatrous during the Spanish conquest and Christianization. Only a few codices survived this and similar acts across Mesoamerica. The event devastated indigenous knowledge repositories in the post-classic Maya heartland. Surviving fragments preserve astronomy, history, and ritual.

The loss underscores colonial erasure, inspiring Latin American poets like Octavio Paz and indigenous voices reclaiming heritage through verse. It fuels literary movements addressing cultural hybridity and resistance. Rediscovered codices inform contemporary poetry on pre-Columbian cosmologies and memory.