tzompantli (Mdz2r)

tzompantli (Mdz2r)
Iconography

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This iconographic example of a skull rack (tzompantli) is provided here as a comparison for glyphs that capture the tzompantli. This example could be considered a glyph, but we do not have a gloss, so we are including it here as iconography. It looks much like the glyphs, with the rectangular wooden structure on a dark base and one skull over the horizontal post, in profile, looking toward the viewer's right.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Mendoza/Mendocino, Codex (Mdz)

Date of Manuscript:

by 1553 at the latest

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Mexico City

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Death, decay, decomposition

Religion (Indigenous)

Technology (all types), plus Tools

Wood, wooden things

Cultural Content, Credit:

Xitlali Torres

Colors:

purple

tan

white/neutral

Shapes and Perspectives:

facing right

profile view

right angle(s)

Keywords:

muertes, muertos, calaveras, cabezas, estructuras, palos, plataformas

Museum/Rare Book/Realia Comparisons:

Museum/Rare Book/Realia Notes:

This sculptured tzompantli (skull rack), is what remains on a building in the Templo Mayor archaeological site. Photograph by Stephanie Wood, 18 January 2026.

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzompantli

Image Source:

Codex Mendoza, folio 02 recto, https://codicemendoza.inah.gob.mx/inicio.php?lang=english.

Image Source, Rights:

The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, hold the original manuscript, the MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1. This image is published here under the UK Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0).