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<TITLE>Re: [Nahuat-l] dark/light skin color differences in pre- and post-conquest Mexico</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Verdana"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>This image from the Florentine Codex comes from Book 7, Chapter 11. Chapters 9-12 are all about the New Fire Ceremony in which a xiuhmolpilli or ‘bundle of [52] reeds’/years was burned. This is the only image in these chapters depicting human sacrifice and one has to assume it relates to this all-important Aztec-century-welcoming ritual. The only part of the text to mention the sacrifice (in Chapter 9) includes the following clue: 'And when they drew the new fire, they drew it there at Uixachtlan, at midnight, when the night divided in half. They drew it upon the breast of a captive, and it was a <B>well-born one</B> on whose breast [the priest] bored the fire drill. And when a little [fire] fell, when it took flame, then speedily [the priest] slashed open the breast of the captive, seized his heart, and quickly cast it there into the fire. Thus he fed, he served it to the fire. And the body of [the captive] all came to an end in the flames. And those who drew fire were exclusively the priests, the fire priests, the devout...' (from the Anderson & Dibble translation).<BR>
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I include below a scan of the image which has - I think - a slightly more accurate colour rendition: less green and more (ash!) grey/black in the skin tones (of the priests, that is...)<BR>
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<IMG src="cid:3292000246_32086872" ><BR>
It seems fair to conclude that the artist is here trying to make the victim stand out symbolically from the surrounding priests, who, as everyone agrees, would in real life have been painted/daubed black. Would be good to find time to research more in-depth into the New Fire ceremony itself from other sources... <BR>
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Good wishes,<BR>
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Ian<BR>
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Ian Mursell<BR>
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MirandaNet Fellow, Institute of Education, London University<BR>
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Director, 'Mexicolore'<BR>
28 Warriner Gardens<BR>
London SW11 4EB, U.K.<BR>
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7622 9577<BR>
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7498 0173<BR>
www.aztecs.org<BR>
Ian.Mursell@btinternet.com<BR>
info@mexicolore.co.uk<BR>
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1980-2005: 25 years of bringing Mexico and the Aztecs to life in schools and museums throughout England. Team visits, online teaching resources and services, live interactive videoconferencing sessions, and much more - all from Mexicolore, the 'highly successful teaching team' (British Museum Education Service)<BR>
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