tlatecqui (Mdz70r)

This example of iconography features a stone worker, glossed as lapidario in Spanish, which we have decided to call a (tlatecqui) in Nahuatl. In this example, the stone worker holds a tool and appears to be working with jade (chalchihuitl). The tool is in his right hand; it appears to be a knife and it is white. Two green jade beads are on the ground in front of him, strung with a red tie. In his left hand he holds a jade device that is green, red, and white. The man has tan-colored skin, and he wears what appear to be a white cotton cape and loincloth. He sits on a yellow woven reed (petlatl) seat. He appears in profile, facing toward the viewer's right. A turquoise-blue volute (a speech scroll) emerges from his mouth, which may suggest he isa master stone worker who teachers other this skill.