cuahuitl (Mdz23r)

The is a fairly common depiction of a tree in the Codex Mendoza. Sometimes the trunks have diagonal black lines along the trunk, one thin and one thicker. The inclusion of the roots in the visual, and their coloring (red) may suggest an awareness of what lies beneath the soil, although roots of many trees in central Mexico are visual. One example is the amatl, as seen in a photograph shot by the editor. Its roots are now red, however. Perhaps the red color has an association with what we have seen elsewhere to relate to earthly interiors.