acuitlatl (FCbk11f69r)

This iconographic example, featuring blue-green algae (acuitlatl), is included in this digital collection for the purpose of making comparisons with related hieroglyphs. The term selected for this example comes from the text near the image in the Digital Florentine Codex. There is no gloss, per se. This example shows two green rectangles. The text explains that this is a blue algae that is gathered from the surface of the lake, formed into cakes that are cooked over coals, and then eaten as a tostada. The text also gives other names for this algae, such as tecuitlatl, azoquitl, and amomoxtli. Interestingly, this is one of many examples where green paint is used to show a blue material, showing the overlap in Nahua thinking about the colors of blue and green. The contextualizing image shows, to the right of the green rectangles, a body of water painted gray. It has two whirlpools or swirling lines of current (movement). It also has a curving, floating layer of algae that runs largely horizontal against the water. Presumably, this algae floats on the top, but the water is not shown in a cross-section view.