THE NUTTALL MANUSCRIPT

ANCIENT MEXICAN MANUSCRIPT

PEABODY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY

The Sacred Signs of the Count

A pictographic illustration shows the head of a Crocodile original: "Cipactli"; the first of the twenty day signs in the 260-day ritual calendar, representing a primordial aquatic monster from which the earth was created.. The head is rendered in vibrant shades of green, red, and yellow, and features a purple circular element, likely representing a jewel or a specific ritual marking.

An intricate Mixtec glyph depicts an intertwined frame shaped like the letter "A"—a standard pictorial convention used to denote a Year—paired with a golden-yellow loop, a green and orange circular element, and a striped staff. This symbol acts as a temporal anchor, likely identifying a specific year-date or the ceremonial name of a sacred object depicted in the following history.