xihuitl (TK211v)

This painted simplex Nahuatl hieroglyph and notation references one year’s (xihuitl) worth of tribute. There is no gloss or textual explanation here, but on folio 212v the reader is told that means one year. This example has two parts. One is a square gold frame with turquoise (xihuitl, which means both turquoise and year) tesserae inside, forming a mosaic. The pieces are triangular and trapezoidal, blue, green, and gold. Turquoise was often used in mosaics, probably because even if pieces were small, they were still very valuable. The turquoise here is a phonetic indicator for “year.” Below the mosaic is one smaller circle outlined in black and painted blue inside. This represents the number “one,” but the blue color also connects to the concept of a year. The time expressed refers to the frequency by white this community was required to deliver the onerous tribute demands of the Spanish colonizers. This manuscript was produced as part of the community’s resistance to the unreasonable taxation.