Eyi Acatl (Mdz2r)

This representation of a solar year (xihuitl) date, Three Reed (Eyi Caña) includes the notation for three ones across the top and, below the ones, the simplex calendrical glyph for reed (acatl). The ones have a dot in the middle, in this case, although sometimes ones are empty, and sometimes they have small concentric circles in the center (see below). The reed is short, standing in a waterway (apantli, in cross-section), and decorated with feathers, much like the dart or arrow (mitl) that was made from this reed. In the original, the entire glyph is enclosed in a box-like black-line drawing (not visible here), and the entire contents are painted over with a turquoise (xihuitl) pigment. Because year and turqoise are homophones, the blue coloring here seems to serve as a phonetic indicator that this is a date.