macuiltecpantli (MH612v)

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the number and noun, macuiltecpantli (five twenties) has been carved from a scene showing a macultepanpixqui, a person in charge of 100 tribute payers (and their families). Each twenty is represented by an upright white flag facing toward the viewer's right. At the top of each flag is a small human head, which represents a tribute payer (and, we learn from a text on the page, his wife and presumably his family). So, this compound glyph shows one hundred tribute payers (with partners). Each flag (panitl) serves as a phonetic indicator for tecpantli (twenty). The human heads also make it clear that the compound refers to a number of people.