Mayahuel and Maguey As Teotl in the Directional Tree Pages of the Codex Borgia
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Case Study for Development of a Visual Grammar: Mayahuel and Maguey as Teotl in the Directional Tree Pages of the Codex Borgia Felicia Rhapsody Lopez, University of California Santa Barbara “The books stand for an entire body of my current examination of the Codex indigenous knowledge, one that embraces Borgia, I seek to further the decolonial both science and philosophy.” – Elizabeth project of recovering Indigenous Hill Boone (2007:3) knowledge through methods that center Mesoamerican voices, docu- The results of the invasion and ments, and language.1 colonization of the Americas include Mesoamerican scribes created a wide not only widespread genocide, but also variety of texts (from historical, to the destruction of Indigenous texts and topographical, to ritual) containing culture. Today only 12 codices from maguey iconography, which draw upon Precontact Central Mexico remain. the cultural symbolism, metaphor, and Among these are a group of six, defined scientific understanding of the plant by their similarities in iconographic and of the teotl2 Mayahuel in order to style, content, and geographic region of provide a rich and layered meaning for origin, called the Borgia Group, so their Indigenous readers. The named for the Codex Borgia, the most metaphorical connections between iconographically detailed of the group, Mayahuel and maguey drawn on Codex which in turn was named for Italian Borgia page 51 reveal what I develop Cardinal, Stefano Borgia, who possessed here: an internal visual grammatical the document before his death and structure, which in turn allows for the before its gifting to the Vatican Library, identification of the primary tree on where it now resides. None of the six Codex Borgia page 51 as Mayahuel/ Borgia Group documents, it should be maguey, rather than corn, as it has been noted, are still within or near the interpreted by previous scholars (Seler communities that created them, but 1963; Nowotny 2005; Boone 2007; rather are kept in various libraries, Byland, Diaz, and Rodgers 1993). In the museums, and universities in Europe. In process of outlining the methods for my examination of Precontact Central this identification, my first goal is to Mexican codices, both in general and in uncover the linguistic complexity of 1 For her work outlining some of the ways to variety of meanings not found in decolonize the studies of and by Indigenous Mesoamerican belief systems, and the use of people, I am indebted to Linda Tuhiwai Smith this common translation has led to and her 1999 book, Decolonizing misunderstanding about Mesoamerican Methodologies: Research and Indigenous cultures. One of the functions of this paper will Peoples. be to continue to explore the complex meaning 2 Although the common Western translation of of teotl apart from Western constructions, and the word teotl is given as ‘god’ or ‘goddess,’ I I will specifically return to the word itself in the have intentionally resisted these words and penultimate section: Mayahuel/Maguey as will instead use the word teotl throughout this Teotl. paper. The words ‘god’ and ‘goddess’ contain a 42 Lopez Figure 1: Codex Borgia 49 with labeled overlay (all illustrations redrawn by Justin McIntosh based on facsimiles of the original Codex Borgia) Ancient Mesoamerican pictorial texts. thus shedding further light on the Here I rely on a familiarity with local nature of “deity” within Mesoamerica languages and cultures. Based on this more generally. understanding, I examine Mayahuel/ Through the identification of maguey as a case study for the ways in patterns in meaning and association which iconography can be read and using Nahuatl sources and linguistics, I understood as a language with its own present here a new method of reading complex set of grammatical elements. these pictorial texts, which provides Lastly, I use this visual grammar to draw tools for further research and upon various stories, myths, and decipherment. histories related to Mayahuel/maguey in order to understand her role as teotl, Background rEvista, Volume 5, Issue 2 43 The Codex Borgia is a traditional scholars as representations of the Mesoamerican book made of a directions east, north, west, south, and continuous single sheet, folded center (Seler 1963:2:85-103; Nowotny accordion style upon itself forming 76 2005:34; Boone 2007:121-131; Anders et al pages. The physical form of the book 1993:261-277; Hernández and Bricker allows for multiple consecutive pages to 2004:299-320; Hernández 2004). be viewed simultaneously. Pages 49 Eduard Seler (1963: 2:85-103) was the through 52 and the right side of 53 of the first to recognize that these pages are Codex Borgia follow a similar pattern, analogous to the frontispiece of the and were likely folded out to allow an Codex Fejérváry-Mayer, wherein trees indigenous reader to view pages 49 representing east, north, west, and through 54 as a single and complete set south surround a central figure. The of pages. 3 Each of the pages, from page detailed imagery put forth by the 49 through 52 and the right side of 53 of original Mesoamerican scribes suggests the Codex Borgia, follows a similar to many of these same scholars above pattern of separate panels. Each of pages that the trees depicted correspond to 49 through 52 (which are read from plants indigenous to the regions of and right to left) is broken up into two parts: around Mesoamerica (Seler 1963:2:85; a large lower panel that takes up about Nowotny 2005:34-36; Boone 2007:114; two-thirds of the content; and an upper Anders et al 1993:81). Previous panel that is further separated into two interpretations of CB51, have identified smaller panels. (Figure 1) 4 The first this region as the West and its tree as a half of page 53 shares a similar pattern, young corn plant (Seler 1963:2:87; with the bottom half containing a tree Nowotny 2005:35; Boone 2007:123; in the same general form as the primary Byland, Diaz, and Rodgers 1993:xxvii). trees (C7) seen in the other pages, yet While there is certainly some evidence with only one page above this image. for these proposals, my own research Many scholars have addressed these two using iconographic, cultural, and portions, top and bottom across the four linguistic evidence suggests that this and a half pages, separately (Seler 1963; tree is instead a flowering, mature Boone 2007; Anders, Jansen and Reyes maguey. 1993), and for the majority of this Early twentieth century German research, I am following this trend. In scholar of Precontact Mesoamerica, this paper, I primarily focus on the Eduard Seler, was the first European to bottom portion of these pages, each of produce an extensive study the Codex which centers on a tree with a bird Borgia. As Elizabeth Hill Boone (2007:7) perched atop its forking branches. states, “He described, identified, and The trees and the pages upon which interpreted just about every image in they appear, have long been read by the codices. Most of Seler’s specific 3 Page 53 of the Codex Borgia, in addition to manuscript suggests that these six pages were containing patterns that mirror those on pages viewed simultaneously. 49 through 52, contains part of the Venus 4 High-resolution color images of the Table that appears on page 54. Because page illustrations for this article can be viewed 53 shows no physical evidence of having been online at: folded in half, the physical layout of the http://www.chicomoztoc.com/images-for- chapter-3-case-study-of-a-visual-grammar/ 44 Lopez readings of individual iconographic Nowotny sought to incorporate details have been accepted by ethnographic data collected largely subsequent scholars and remain from Indigenous people of Central fundamental to all later research.” Seler Mexico in the early 20th century and use was the first scholar to identify the tree that data in his analysis of and illustrated on page 51 (Figure 2) as an comparisons to the imagery within the immature maize plant—i.e. one that codices. As George A. Everett and had not yet yielded corncobs or other Edward B. Sisson, the translators of his visible fruit. He noted that the black work Tlacuilolli (2005:xx), state: “In stripes on the yellow and brown tree particular, [Nowotny] offers well- resemble the face paint of the maize reasoned and insightful alternatives to god, Cinteotl, reasoning that, by the astral interpretation of the great association, the plant represented here master Eduard Seler.” Despite his goal of was a form of maize. In fact, two black challenging Seler and his students in zigzagging lines, one thick and one thin, their tendency to seek astral do appear on representations of Cinteotl significance within the Codex Borgia, in within the Codex Borgia, on plates 14, 15 his original Tlacuilolli, Nowotny and 57, so Seler’s assertion is not (2005:35) describes the tree at the without evidence. bottom of page 51 as, “a corn tree with a Seler (1963:2:87), within this visual large star,” showing that he seems to decipherment, goes on to assert that the agree with Seler’s interpretation. Yet by centerpiece of the tree represents a sort 1976, in labeled overlays Nowotny of transforming star. He states: provided to accompany a newly available Codex Borgia facsimile (the [H]ay en el tronco un dibujo extraño: Akademische Druck und Verlagsanstalt una raíz ancha y dos flores flanqueadas de espinas; los pétalos (muy alargados) facsimile), Nowotny offers an de las flores se levantan, a su vez, sobre alternative reading. Written in the espinas. Como conjunto el dibujo tiene position of the tree he previously aspecto de un ojo-estrella –o un ojo- identified as a corn tree with a star, rayo transformado en flores.