SELEK] MEXICAN PICTURE WRITINGS FRAGMENTS III, IV 188 



chimalli." The pattern on the Stuttgart shield is executed in green 

 and yellow, and the shields of this kind on the tribute list have the 

 same colors, without a single exception. On our fragment the colors 

 chosen are blue and red. The second warrior, from below, in the left 

 row and the adjacent upper i-ight-hand warrior have a shield with 

 concave cross bands curving upward, with one golden crescent above 

 and three below. Such shields were called cuexyo chimalli.'' The 

 background of these shields is usually red, and so it is on our frag- 

 ment. The warrior who follows in the upper row on the left, of whom 

 only the lower half is visible, has a shield witli a plain red surface. 

 Concerning the other weapons and articles of dress there is not much 

 to be said. 



The maquauitl, strangely enough, is painted l)lue in every instance. 

 The Mexicans frequently denoted metal (silver), and usually tur- 

 quoise mosaic, by blue in their paintings. But there can be no ques- 

 tion of metal here, for a metal club would not be armed with splin- 

 ters of obsidian, and turquoise mosaic was employed only in the 

 ornamentation of costly gala weapons, if at all. The clubs might 

 have been painted blue in imitation of turquoise mosaic, just as war- 

 riors wore wooden ear pegs painted blue instead of those inci'usted 

 with lur(iu()ise, as worn by the king.' 



Arrows and spears are represented, as in all Mexican ])aintings, 

 tipped with stone. The feathers at the nock end are applied some- 

 what below the end of the shaft, so that the end of the arrow can be 

 placed on either the bow string or the peg of the spear thrower. The 

 feathers are drawn en face, that is, with the broad side next the shaft. 

 This, however, is probably due to defective drawing. In reality they 

 must have lain perpendicular to the shaft. Thus, eyes are never 

 drawn in profile, as they actually are in a face drawn in profile, but 

 are always drawn en face. A ball of down is invariably attached to 

 the base of the feather. The quiver worn by one warrior on our frag- 

 ment is painted yellow, with black spots, and is therefore supposed to 

 be made of jaguar skin. All the figures are naked, save for the 

 maxtlatl, " breechcloth," which is here painted red in all cases. 



The warriors in the row on the left are represented as engaged in 

 combat. Each of the three on the right side is dragging a prisoner, 

 and broad streams of blood mark the paths they have traversed with 

 their captives. Opj)osite the middle one of the three warriors is a 

 man who seems to be in the act of receiving the victim with animated 

 gestures. He wears only a red cap on his head, and is perhaps meant 

 for a priest. 



" VeroffentUclningeu aus dem KOniglichen Museum fiir Volkerkunde, v. 1. pp. 140, 141. 



fcZeitschrift fiir Ethnologic, ISOl, v. L'3, p. 1.37. 



<■ Yuan conaijuia siutinafochtli, uel xiuiti, auli yu cequintin gan quauitl yn tlacliiualli 

 tlaxiuhyculloIU (" and they wear turquoise ear pegs, which are made of turquoise, and 

 otliers wear them of wood only, wliich are painted after the manner of turquoise"). 

 Sahagun, v. 2, chap. 37. Manuscript P.iblioteca del I'alacio. 



