tetzahuitl (FCbk8f12v)

This iconographic example, featuring an omen or a frightening thing (tetzahuitl) is included in this digital collection for the purpose of making potential comparisons with related hieroglyphs. The term selected for this example comes from the companion text. This example shows a seated man in profile, facing left, wearing a white cape tied over his left shoulder. This cape is painted in such a way to emphasize the folds in the fabric, which shows European artistic styling. A waist band from his loincloth is visible on his back. His skin tone is terracotta. Two turquoise blue speech scrolls come from his mouth, suggesting that he might be a tlatoani (or tlahtoani, with the glottal stop). The man holds onto a large, dark gray bird that stands tall with its wings positioned for flight. It is also facing left. The bird’s feet and open beak are yellow. On its head is a small round mirror that has a yellow rim and a turquoise blue center. On the mirror is a star, and an additional six stars (referred to as cicitlatin) rise above the mirror.