xiquipilli (Mdz42r)

The cross at the center of the bag may be a simplified quatrefoil or quincunx. This cross is simplified compared to the cross in the xiquipilli on folio 10 verso, which is drawn in a way that is reminiscent of teocuitlatl (see below, right), which may suggest that these bags sometimes contained gold coins. The large number that is associated with the bag or sack is theorized to derive from the time when it held 8,000 cacao beans. Sometimes the contents were incense. When the number symbol was used, it could be intended to be very precise, such as when counting tribute items. Sometimes it was used just to mean a large number, as in Western culture when we might say, "I've told you a thousand times," and we do not mean that literally. Multiples of 8,000 could get very huge, such as when multiplied by 400 in a reference to 3,200,000 men (follow the link to the dictionary).