Tlacahuacaltepec (TR25v)

Frames were very commonly worn on human backs for carrying heavy objects. They were made of wood. See below for some examples.

The flames on this frame would suggest that this is a funerary carrying frame for a corpse. The fact that the man's eye is closed suggests that he is dead. the Florentine Codex shows a ceremony involving the burning of a funerary bundle (a corpse shrouded in white cotton cloth that is tied on with cords or ropes). An article on "Aztec Burials" in Mexicolore shares further: "The higher up in society, the more likely you were to be cremated, alongside the tools of your trade and other offerings. Once burnt, your ashes would be collected in a pottery vase [as shown in the photograph already shared], which also held the green chalchihuitl jewel that would be your soul’s heart on the coming journey. The vase would be buried in a deep hole at your home, covered with food-and-drink offerings."