cintli (TR14r)

This example of the iconography of maize comes from the Codex Telleriano-Remensis. It was painted in association with a divinity linked with maize, Centeotl. This detail, however, can stand alone for the noun cintli, which refers to dried maize kernels still on the cob (mazorca in Spanish). Interestingly, of the two cobs here, one is red and one is golden or yellow. They both have hash marks that leave an impression of eyes or faces. Their silk is of the opposing color, with the red cob having golden silk, and vice versa. Two light-brown growths come up from behind the red cob; they may be tassels.