Xochiteotl (Verg35v)

Perhaps the tlacuilo spelled out teotl phonetically on these pages of the Vergara in an effort to avoid drawing an image of a divine force and, thereby, to avoid the disapproval of the colonial clergy. Serious events in Tetzcoco in 1539 may have made Nahua tlacuilos more cautious when writing and painting about aspects of their faith. See Patricia Lopes Don for information about the Inquisition case against don Carlos Ometochtli, a Chichimecatecuhtli (or Chichimecateuctli) executed in late 1539, in Bonfires of Culture, 2010. Bradley Benton (The Lords of Tetzcoco, 2017, 46) also writes that the case “demonstrates that blatant disregard for Christianity had serious consequences.” Two other examples of compounds for Xochiteotl that involve a flower and a stone appear below. Many others make a stab at representing the -teotl component with a human-like face (with one being on a sun) or a head. A Quick Search for Xochiteotl will return a variety of hieroglyphs for this name.