Totonacatlalli (FCbk11f230v)

This iconographic example, featuring the land of the Totonaca people (Totonacatlalli), is included in this digital collection for the purpose of making comparisons with related hieroglyphs. The term selected for this example comes from the text near the image in the Digital Florentine Codex. There is no gloss, per se. This example shows a black-line drawing inside a wide, horizontal rectangle that contains a scene with a man sitting holding a fan and wearing only a loincloth. He is shown in profile, facing right. Mosquitos fly in the air, and the sun (having the European sign of a face surrounded by a circle of dots and emanating rays) up in the sky. Below the sun a shrouded deceased person lies horizontally in profile. The cause of the early deaths is not clarified. On the right edge is a seated feline, probably a jaguar, with spots on its coat and a protruding tongue. The text refers to hot lands, early deaths, mosquitos, and yet underlines its abundant flowers and fruits.