visorrey (Osu15r)
This compound glyph for the title visorrey (viceroy, vice-king) comes from the Codex Osuna, folio 15 recto (or Image 32). It contains three elements. One is a speech scroll, which may provide the semantic meaning of tlatoani (ruler, literally the one who speaks). Up from there is an eye (ixtli), which may provide the phonetic “ix” for the “is” in visorrey. Finally, the bean (etl), supplies the “e” sound for the ending of the word, “ey.” This entire glyph is connection to a seated figure by a dotted line.
Stephanie Wood
The viceroy indicated by this compound glyph, as shown in the contextualizing image, is don Luis de Velasco. He is seated in a curule chair, which is something like a throne. He is gesturing, which is another indication of his authority, along with the speech scrolls that make him into one who speaks (a tlatoani in the estimation of the tlacuilo who painted this apparent portrait). Sometimes glyphs for Spaniards will attempt a phonetic rendition of their surnames (such as Mendoza, as shown below). Here, it appears that it is his title that is being captured in the glyph, as the reading of the compound points more to visorrey than to Velasco.
Stephanie Wood
1551–1565
Jeff Haskett-Wood
ojos, volutas, frijoles, autoridades, virreyes, Velasco
![](https://aztecglyphs.wired-humanities.org/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/visorreyOsu15rCmpndTitle.png?itok=yHnsSZll)
visorrey, viceroy (a loan from Spanish), https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/visorrey
el virrey
Stephanie Wood
Library of Congress Online Catalog and the World Digital Library, Osuna Codex, or Painting of the Governor, Mayors, and Rulers of Mexico (Pintura del Gobernador, Alcaldes y Regidores de México), https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_07324/. The original is located in the Biblioteca Nacional de España.
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![](https://aztecglyphs.wired-humanities.org/sites/default/files/visorreyOsu15rContext.png)