caballo (FCbk12f17r)

This iconographic example, featuring a black and white sketch of Spaniards on the march toward Mexico-Tenochtitlan from the gulf, shows them riding horses (caballo, using the loanword from Spanish sometimes spelled cahuayo). This scene is included in this digital collection for the purpose of making comparisons with related hieroglyphs. The term caballo/cahuayo does not appear in the text near the image in the Digital Florentine Codex, and there is no gloss, per se. This example shows at least three horses and probably some men on foot. The leading horse has a leg bent and a foot raised, giving it motion. The horses are saddled and bridled. The men wear armor, and one has large plumes coming up from his helmet. The tips of six lances appear at the top of the scene, showing that the Spanish men are armed. The lead person carries a tall staff with a large, curving flag attached (bandera was taken as a loan from Spanish). The fabric includes shading, a learned European stylistic, which gives the banner three-dimensionality. The landscape setting is also rooted in those foreign influences.