Mexica (Osu8r)

This painting of a group of Nahua men in profile, facing toward the viewer’s right, and going off on an expedition to Florida (a Spanish colony and a place name that was taken into Nahuatl with the preposition and article attached, “a la”) is included here as an iconographic example of the phenomenon of Indigenous men who were taken on conquering excursions (what the Spanish text in this manuscript calls a jornada experience). This comes from the Codex Osuna, folio 8 recto (or image 18). It shows one leader who is riding horseback, and four foot soldiers. They carry swords or spears. They carry circular shields with a light yellow center and a red border, and these appear to be of an Indigenous design. The men all have Spanish-style clothing and hats. The hats each have a two-tone red and pink plume that curls backward. The man on horseback carries a flag with a red background and a white porter, flying toward the left, attached to the top of a long spear. The design on the flag is a nopal cactus with an eagle atop, mouth open and wings raised. This flag is the emblem for Mexico.