axaxayacatl (FCbk11f68v)

This iconographic example, featuring eggs or bugs (axaxayacatl) related to the water skater fly, 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 three bugs in or on the water in a bird’s eye view. The text describes them as small, like the size of a flea. They are oval shaped, with tiny eyes and small legs. They may have wings folded on the top of their bodies, and the text says they swim, dive, and fly. The text also says they have another name, the cuatecomatl, and the Spanish text refers to them as coquillos. These are caught and eaten. The bugs are shown here surrounded by traps that were used for catching them. The traps are in the water, and they are strung together by cord or rope. The technology of the traps deserve further investigation. While the water landscape and setting for these bugs may reflect European artistic influence, the swirls or whirlpools in the water are very much in the Mesoamerican tradition.