choca (FCbk12f13r)

This iconographic example, featuring a black and white sketch of male and female Mexica sitting with Motecuzoma, and all are crying (involving the verb, choca), 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 four men and two women in profile, facing right, toward Motecuhzoma. He sits in a palace facing them. He is sitting on what appears to be a wooden drum (huehuetl), with its cut out legs. Under his seat appears to be the skin of a wild cat, with its head and paws still attached. Motecuhzoma gestures and a speech scroll emerges from his mouth. A scroll also emerges from one of the men sitting nearest to him. The men who are meeting with the ruler are all sitting on woven seats (probably icpalli), on top of woven mats (probably petlatl), and the women are seated behind them, on the ground. The men all wear cloaks tied on their shoulders, and the women wear hand-made blouses (huipilli). The textiles are shaded for three dimensionality, an artistic style learned from European art teachers. A child sits on the ground, too, seemingly playing or gesturing to one of the women. That women are included in the meeting with Motecuhzoma seems significant, but the arrangement of the bodies seems gendered in such a way that privileges men. Everyone but the child is crying. Emotions were running strong. The text explains how Motecuhzoma is very concerned about the Spaniards who are marching their way.