juez (Osu1v)

This painting of a judge/governor (juez, a loanword from Spanish) is included here as an example of iconography that might be useful for reading and interpreting hieroglyphs. It comes from the Codex Osuna, folio 1 verso (Image 5). This important figure was “don Esteban,” an Indigenous man who held an important position in the early years of the Spanish colony, one of several elite Indigenous men who were convinced to help with early colonial adjustments in Indigenous communities. He stands in profile, facing the Spanish authority on the viewer’s left. His staff of office, his cape, and the speech scroll that comes from his mouth are all indicators of his authority. Showing some degree of Spanish influence, he also wears a tunic and trousers, but he is without shoes.