pochtecatl (FCbk4f42r)

pochtecatl (FCbk4f42r)
Iconography

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

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 in the direction he is probably heading. In his right hand he has what may be a dark gray walking stick and a feather fan much like the ecahuaztli, which appears elsewhere in this collection (see below). 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.

Date of Manuscript: 

1577

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Mexico City

Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Keywords: 

traders, merchants, mercaderes, vendedores, larga distancia, pochteca,_

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 

pochteca(tl), a long distance merchant, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/pochtecatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

mercader o comerciante de larga distancia

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source, Rights: 

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. If you do publish anything from this database, please cite the Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs.

Historical Contextualizing Image: