panahuia (Osu13r)

This painting from the Codex Osuna, folio 13 recto (or Image 28), shows a profile view of a Nahua man paddling a reddish-brown boat on some turquoise-blue water. The man wears a white shirt. He has black hair that just covers his ears. In the boat are three terracotta-colored ceramic jugs, each one with two short streams of water splashing out of the top. These little streams–also turquoise blue–have a line of current down the middle and a droplet at the upper end. Connected to the upper tip of the paddle (which is probably wooden) is a line connecting this scene with two horizontal rows of five small circles. They are also connected by a line to one another. This notation is referred to in the Nahuatl text as "matlactli acatl" (10 Reed, a date or a name). The nearby Spanish text also references the transport of [jugs of] water by boat for two leagues, from Colhuacan (or Culhuacan) to Iztacalco at the request of Dr. Puga (a Spanish overlord). The pueblo was unsure if they would be paid for this, and they were protesting. Note how the bundle is tied for ease of carrying. We are including this example of iconography to provide for comparisons with hieroglyphs.