tecpancalli (FCbk11f240v-241r)

This iconographic example, featuring a black and white sketch of a man building a ruler’s palace (tecpancalli), is included in this digital collection for the purpose of making comparisons with related hieroglyphs. The term selected for this example comes from the page prior to the image in the Digital Florentine Codex. There is no gloss, per se. This example shows a Nahua man in profile, wearing a European-style belted tunic that reaches his knees. He is bent over slightly, facing left, holding a stone, that he is about to place on the building under construction. The pyramid is only about half built. The steps are shaded, giving them a three-dimensionality (a European artistic style). The foreground shows a paved floor with pieces of stone in alternating dark and light colors. At this point, the building seems little different from a teocalli (religious temple). But it would have some of its own unique features, such as carved stone and plaster, as described in the text.