seler] 



VENUS PERIOD IN PICTURE WRITINGS 



369 



which is yellow, in the Codex Vaticanus even dotted yellow and red, 

 and the Avavy outlines forcibly recall the manner in which the skin 

 flayed from a human being, Xipe's usual attire, is commonly repre- 

 sented in the picture writings. Since Xipe Totec is placed among the 

 five gods of this particular row, I am convinced that the act of tearing 

 olf the strip is meant to represent the tlacaxipeualiztli, " flaying of 

 the victim ", which was customary at the feast of Xipe Totec and also 

 at the feasts of the earth goddess. 



In the fourth row five female divinities are represented as offering 

 the breast to a naked human form [a, figure 90). I believe that this 



• / 



Fig. 96. Mexican deities and Maya hieroglyphs. 



row is intended to represent the " nourishing " of the gods, the 

 tlatlatlaqualiliztli, which was the concluding act of the sacrifice, and 

 consisted in moistening the mouths of the idols with the blood of the 

 victims by means of a strip of paper or a rod dipped in the blood, 

 which had been caught in a bowl. 



7238— No. 28—05 24 



