atlalli (FCbk11f228r)

This iconographic example, featuring irrigated land (atlalli), is included in this digital collection for the purpose of making comparisons with related hieroglyphs. The term selected for this example comes from the text near the image in the Digital Florentine Codex. There is no gloss, per se. This example shows a male Nahua farmer in a ¾ view (but his head is in profile, facing left). He is holding a digging stick (huictli), apparently in the midst of guiding irrigation water to some plants (small flowering plants and small maize plants) that he is raising in a field. The irrigation water descends from a horizontal channel of water higher up, and apparently the farmer has drawn down several smaller streams to the field he is working, having the aid of gravity. The water is hieroglyphic in that it has lines of current and even one swirl (movement). The farmer is wearing a belted tunic (no trousers or shoes). The tunic has ¾-length sleeves, a standing collar, and a few buttons from the collar part way down the chest. This clothing shows European stylistic influence.