tlaolli (FCbk5f16r)

This iconographic example of dried maize kernel storage is included here as a support for potential comparisons with hieroglyphs of tlaolli. In this scene, a woman pours kernels from a woven basket (either a chiquihuitl or a tompiyatli, also spelled tompiyahtli) into a large earthenware container with handles. The latter seems to be a comitl, judging from the keywords provided by the Digital Florentine Codex team. Interestingly the kernels shown here are a pink color, whereas in the hieroglyphs they are usually white. Of course maize can come in different colors, including red. The earthenware pot sits on three visible stones. The stones are actually drawn and painted in a way that is somewhat reminiscent of glyph elements, with their curvy parallel lines. The woman is speaking or perhaps singing, as three red speech scrolls come from her mouth. She is alone in the scene, so it is unclear to whom she might be speaking, if anyone. She has the traditional adult woman’s hairstyle (neaxtlahualli, or axtlacuilli). She wears a plain white skirt and a white huipilli with red accents. Her clothing is shaded with gray, giving it a three-dimensionality that shows European artistic influence. Interestingly, the fabric rectangle of her huipilli that would normally appear on her chest is appearing on her back.