Plates 47 and 48.

I cannot yet offer a reading of these plates.

These plates have two sets of five figures at the top. There are two figures of different type at the right and another five other different types at the bottom. It seems wrong to me when they are called three groups of five; they have obvious pictorial grouping as I describe here. The bottom row of paintings and the extreme right paintings have obviously different structures.

Order of reading.

Following prior figures which were read counterclockwise from the bottom right I will read in groups counterclockwise from the bottom row to the group at the right and then to the two groups of five starting with the bottom row with female figures.

Description of the bottom row, one painting alone and four paintings with similarities.

Each of the four segments on bottom right sections have a number-icon associated with several different paintings. Using Plates 1 through 8 as if the numbers indicate a column we can find positions in the ritual calendar.

Starting at right bottom of Plate 47 we see nine spots and the icon of Acatl which corresponds with column 9 Acatl on Plate 2 where a footprint points up.

The next segment left on Plate 47 has 4 dots and Tecpatl corresponds to column 4 Tecpatl on Plate 5.

The next segment left on Plate 47 has 6 dots and Acatl which corresponds to column 6 Acatl on Plate 7.

The next segment left on Plate 47 has 8 dots and Acatl which corresponds to column 8 Acatl on Plate 4.

I do not yet understand the importance of the sequence of segments in this bottom row.

The lone painting at bottom left has a single dot and the Cuauhtli icon. I have no special words to explain reason for associating the painting with the icon.

Description of the two paintings in upper right section of Plate 47.

The lower painting has 13 spots associated with each icon, reference to row 13 in each of the four quadricenas on Plates 1 through 8 the sequence reading counterclockwise from icon Ehecatl contains the number-icon pairs 13 Miquiztli, 13 Tecpatl, 13 Izquintli,13Ehecatl and 13 Ocelotl; found in sequence on Plate 4, the second trecena, starting with Miquiztli in the upper right quadrant of this segment and reading upward. This seems to be an elaborate abbreviated reference to the entire tonalpohuali via reference to column 13 at the end of the second quadricena.

The upper painting has 4 spots with each icon except that the four circles for Ozomatli do not contain red pigment. Column 4 Plate 7, the has all these icons in the fourth trecena, fourth column, starting with Calli, and reading upward to Cuauhtli, Mazatli Quiahuitl, and Ozomatli, . This seems to be another reference to the entire toanlpohualli by reference to column 4 of the third quadricena.

Portions of the second and third trecenas are given some sort of additional meaning by these paintings. I do not yet understand these meanings.

Description of the upper ten figures.

The two upper rows of five figures each appear to be organized into masculine figures in the top row and feminine figures in the row below. Each set of the five figures has a similar arrangement of dots and icons even though the icons vary between the figures. All five figures in each row have the same headdress and are dressed the same.

I have not found a method of reading the sequence of icons on a single row of figures 1-8 for either set of five figures. There is a systematic way of reading the icons form all the rows of a single set of trecenas. This is detailed in the following two paragraphs.

The icon at the each end of the row of females is deer, Mazatl. Starting at the right end of the female row and at the right end of the Mazatl trecena on double plates 5 and 6 and skipping an icon counterclockwise for each dot we see that the same icons appear with female figures and on the double Plates 5 and 6. Both the paintings of female figures and the selected parts of the third trecena, Mazatl, show Mazatl, Ozomatli, Quiahuitl, shifting to the prior Quiahuitl, Calli, Atl, shifting to the prior Atl, Cuauhtli, Calli, shifting to the prior Calli, Mazatl, Cuauhtli, shifting to the prior Cuauhtli, Quiahuitl, Mazatl to complete a cycle of each of the third trecena on double plates 5 and 6. The same icons appear in the same sequence to complete a cycle of the third trecena.

The icon at the each end of the top row of male figures is flower, Xochitl, the last day of a ritual calendar. Starting at the right end of the male row and at the right end of the Xochitl trecena on double plates 7 and 8 and skipping an icon counterclockwise for each dot we see that the same icons appear with male figures and on double Plates 7 and 8. Both the paintings of male figures and the selected parts of the fourth trecena, Xochitl, show Xochitl, Cueutzpalin, Malinali, shifting to the prior Malinalli, Cozcacuauhtli, Cuetzpalin, shifting to the prior Cuetzpalin, Tochtli, Cozcacuauhtli, shifting to the prior Cozcacauhtli, Xochitl, Tochtli, shifting to the prior Tochtli, Malinalli, Xochitl. The same icons appear in the same sequence to complete a cycle of the fourth trecena.

Each male figure has a small, unique iconic drawiing directly beneath the top left icon in each segment. Perhaps these iconic drawings are the name of its associated male figure.

There are no similar iconic drawings associated with female figures. Each female figure has obvious exposed breasts but variable facial features. The female figures each hold three similar items in their right hands and single similar item in each left hand.