Director of Conservation Kim Nichols shines a light on Ayer 1485, a Nahuatl-language manuscript, to show a score line on the paper in the conservation lab at Newberry Library on Dec. 11, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Director of Conservation Kim Nichols shines a light through a page of Ayer 1485, a Nahuatl-language manuscript, in the conservation lab at Newberry Library on the Near North Side on Dec. 11, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
The cover of Ayer 1485, a Nahuatl-language manuscript, in the conservation lab at Newberry Library, Dec. 11, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Ayer 1485, a Nahuatl-language manuscript, sits in the conservation lab at Newberry Library on the Near North Side on Dec. 11, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Director of Conservation Kim Nichols adjusts the microscope to view Ayer 1485, a Nahuatl-language manuscript, in the conservation lab at Newberry Library on the Near North Side, Dec. 11, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)