faint text

faint text

This is a detail, in the top scene on the double register with the number 1, showing some of the faint text in the lower right corner of the scene. It is somewhat illegible, but the top line reads “topala” and the middle line reads “cizco cal”—a reference to don Francisco Cal.... This is a gloss that identifies the indigenous man standing on the right in the scene. The fact that he bears the title “don” tells us that he is meant to represent a local dignitary. It is common in this manuscript corpus to present figures who are meant to represent early colonial indigenous rulers of the towns. [SW]