ring of altepetl glyphs

On this ring appear forty-seven buildings, each with a glyphic identifier and some with alphabetic glosses. Each building probably refers to the ruling palace of a given altepetl, symbolizing the altepetl itself. Note how the format for each building is very stylized, with the same rectangular shape, a roof usually somewhat wider than the building itself, a lintel over the door, an open doorway outlined in red, and the identifying glyphic element resting on the roof. Most doorways also have black ink or paint from the floor up to perhaps knee or thigh height. Many of these buildings also have a red bar across the entrance; sometimes the red used for the bar appears to have been added later. The positioning of these symbols, which may be neighboring communities, along a circle places them equidistant from the community of focus -- not a scientific cartographic placement, but an idealized positioning.