pochtecatl (FCbk4f42r)

This colorful example of iconography has its focus on the pochtecatl (long-distance merchant). This merchant is a man who wears a loincloth and sandals with red ties. He is shown in a three-quarter view, facing toward the viewer's left. He has brown skin and black hair. Coming out of his mouth are two red speech scrolls. With his left arm he is pointing, perhaps in the direction he is probably heading, but this could also be a sign that he has some status or authority (see other examples of finger pointing by choosing "gestures" in the Advanced Search, Cultural categories). In his right hand he has what may be a dark gray walking stick and a feather fan much like the ecacehuaztli, which appears elsewhere in this collection. On the man's back is another dark gray stick and a yellow bundle that is tied with ropes and connected to a tumpline that goes over his forehead. The bundle would be full of merchandise that he is carrying to sell as he travels on foot. The landscape where he stands if grassy and green, with some three dimensionality.