oidor (Osu3v)

This painting of the judge (oidor, a Spanish loanword taken into Nahuatl) is included here as an example of iconography. It comes from the Codex Osuna, folio 3 verso (Image 9). He is Doctor Puga, a Spaniard and a colonial official. His representation is almost glyph-like. The gloss identifies the man’s name and title. The authority of the figure is invested in his ability to speak (like a tlatoani, or “one who speaks”), given that he has a speech scroll emerging from his mouth. This scroll can also be found in this collection as a glyph that represents the verb tlatoa, to speak, shown below. The speech scroll here is painted in two colors, red at the beginning and turquoise blue for the part that curls out and under. These are colors of preciosity. The doctor emanates further authority by holding a staff of office, pointing the index finger on his left hand, and sitting in a curule chair (probably made of carved wood). He is present in the codex as an authority figure who visited a Nahua community to collect 40 loads of lime.