II. 5. Iconographical interpretations of pages 29 to
5.1 An overview
In the first part of this chapter an overview will be created of the interpretations of Fábrega (1899), Seler (1906; 1963), Milbrath (1989), Nowotny (1961; 1976), Anders, Jansen, and Reyes García (1993a), Byland (1993), Boone (2007), and Batalla Rosado (2008). Although this will generally follow a chronological order, this is not the point of departure for this overview. The idea is to put the interpretations together that seem to follow a similar line of reasoning. I have chosen to present it in this order to make the paradigms more clear, as they are the ones that will be discussed in the second part of this chapter.
During the explanation of the interpretations I will refer to the long figure at the border of a few pages as the strip goddess (Figure 8), as it is clear that it is a woman (due to the skirt, and the band of cotton in her hair), but it is not necessarily clear whom she must be identified as. Furthermore, various names of gods will be given during the interpretations. For more specific information about these gods, as background information, Appendix 2 may be consulted.
Some symbols needs to be explained beforehand, as to make clear what is meant. The interpretation of these symbols has already been agreed upon earlier. One such symbol is the star, which is often painted in two ways. Both can be seen in Figure 4 (the red and white circles and the more complex sign). When it is combined with a dark band (like in Figure 9) it Figure 8. The strip goddess (after Batalla Rosado 2008, 436)
Figure 9. A part of the band of darkness and stars of page 31 of the Codex Borgia (after Díaz and Rodgers 1993, 47)
37 | Iconographical Interpretations often represents darkness. Another symbol that is often mentioned is the chalchihuitl (Figure 10). This is generally explained as a big jewel. Furthermore, Figure 11 shows what is considered to be a heart, and Figure 12 shows the convention of a flint knife.
Apart from this, there is also one figure which needs to be pointed out beforehand, as he is not necessarily interpreted as a god. This figure is often called Stripe Eye in the interpretations. Who he is is still a point of discussion. This actor is seen in Figure 13.
Figure 10. A
chalchihuitl (after Díaz and Rodgers 1993, 43)
Figure 11. A heart (after Díaz and Rodgers 1993, 49)
Figure 12. A flint knife (after Díaz and Rodgers 1993, 46)
Figure 13. Stripe Eye (after Díaz and Rodgers 1993, 42)
38 | Iconographical Interpretations
5.1.1Fábrega (1899)
Biography
José Lino Fábrega, born in 1746 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, was one of the first researchers who was interested in the meaning of the imagery in the Codex Borgia. He was a Jesuit who entered his novitiate in 1766, and the college of Tepotzotlan in 1767. However, like many other Jesuits he eventually got suppressed and exiled. Nine years later he was ordained priest in Italy, where he got the shelter and protection of Cardinal Borgia. It is by his collection that Fábrega got connected with the antiquities of Mesoamerica, among which the Borgia Group codices. Since then, Fábrega dedicated himself to the study of these antiquities. At the 20th of May 1797 Fábrega passed away in Italy (Anders, Jansen,
and Reyes García 1993a, 18).
Because Fábrega was the one who had access to the Borgia Group codices he was the first to make an interpretation of them. During Fábrega’s time, however, there was not so much known about Mesoamerican religion. He and Francisco Xavier Clavigero were two people who really got into this material at that time. Clavigero gave an overview of Mexican culture, and Fábrega focused on the interpretation of the codices. During his work Fábrega had figured out that the manuscripts of the Borgia Group mainly have a religious content (Anders 1998, 13-14).
As for his interpretation of the Codex Borgia he mainly used the Codex Vaticanus A which was accompanied by an Italian text that explained the images. By way of comparison he got some insights in the Codex Borgia, but also in Mesoamerican religion in general (Anders, Jansen, and Reyes García 1993a, 43). For the pages 29 to 46, however, he had nothing similar to compare with.
Fábrega seemed to have had a linguistic interest in Nahuatl as he gives various Nahuatl names to the figures presented (León-Portilla 1988, 127). Furthermore, he also had an interest in astronomy, and he thought that the Borgia pages 29 to 46 contained astronomical meaning (Anders, Jansen, and Reyes García 1993, 34). However, as he claimed not to be an expert in Mesoamerican astronomy (Fábrega 1899, 140) his interpretation remained largely descriptive.
Interpretation of the Borgia pages
Fábrega’s general idea about the pages 29 to 46 is that they show 18 zodiac signs, as he thinks that the pages are linked to the sun’s path (tonalotli) which is divided in 18 parts
39 | Iconographical Interpretations (months), of which each part is related to a celestial sign (Fábrega 1899, 140). He comes up with this idea because there are exactly 18 pages in the Borgia sequence. The zodiac signs themselves hold specific meanings which Fábrega, as he argued, could not decipher (1899, 140). Once in a while he identifies a character in the scenes, but he remains very superficial in every case. The characters which he identifies (which are mostly the central figures in the scene) also lead him to the name-giving of the zodiac signs. An overview of Fábrega’s interpretation can be seen in Table 1, in which the names of the zodiac signs, and thus the main figure, are underlined. However, these names are in some cases given by himself on the basis of what the figures look like, and these cases are therefore not included in Appendix 2. In these instances a translation is provided between brackets. Next to the interpretation the periods are indicated in which Fábrega thought these zodiac signs were important. The dotted underlining implies that these parts lack interpretation. The descriptions of the pages are left out.
Table 1. Interpretation of Fábrega (1899, 140-194)
Page Interpretation Period
29 The 1st zodiac sign: Tezauhteuh-oquiyocoxqui, the
creator of all things. He is accompanied by Mictlanteuctli.
20March – 8 April
30 The 2nd zodiac sign: Ollintonatiuh (movement of the
sun). In the company of Mictlanteuhcihua (woman of Mictlan, the underworld).
The Sun with the four directions and seasons stands central. Lower right: autumn; upper right: winter; upper left: spring; lower left: summer.
2 April – 29 April
31 The 3rd zodiac sign: The right: Tlacolteuhcihua or Lady
of Impurity, in company of Mictlanteuctli. The left: Mixcohuatl (Cloud Serpent) accompanied by Mictlanteuhcihua. They represent the same zodiac sign.
30 April – 19 May
32 The 4th zodiac sign: Teuhtecpatl or Lord of Flint 20 May – 8 June
33 The 5th zodiac sign: Quetzalcoatl
A heart sacrifice is performed and the heart is received by Quetzalcoatl in the temple.
9 June – 29 June
34 The 6th zodiac sign: Tlacaocelotl (Jaguar Man) or
Huehuecoyotl (Old Coyote)
A heart sacrifice is performed and the heart is received by two women dressed as Mictlanteuhcihua. A fire is drilled, of which a virgule moves towards Tlacaocelotl in the temple.
40 | Iconographical Interpretations
35 The 7th zodiac sign: Tezcatlipoca or Teuhcipactli
(Divine Crocodile)
Self-sacrifice by Quetzalcoatl to the god in the four corners. The rest represents a journey in which Quetzalcoatl obtains an (unidentified) object.
20 July – 8 August