Acatzingo

Noted and illustrated in Weismann (1950): "This one, from a Franciscan mission, has a glyph on the base ('4 rabbit' or 1574 by the Nahuatl reckoning), and on the back a coat of arms of the town, using indigenous symbols in a way to scandalize the College of Herals. The flying angels, with their Indian masks, are cutouts supreme: the disconnected wings, the single arm, and the zigzag drapery respond to no anatomical criticism, but excellently fulfill their decorative and symbolic purpose." At the time of Weismann visit [between 1945 and 1947] the font was being used as holy-water stoup near the entrance fo the church. Cervantes (1994) describes, under notes for plate 14, a "pila bautismal que incorpora varios motivos" [=baptismal font which incorporates several motifs] and mentions several large devils around the basin of the font. The actual illustration shows one side of the cylindrical basin on which appear, in the centre, a chalice with a host over it, a Latin cross in the centre of the host; to either side of this motif is a large angel with a hand pointing to the host-and-chalice motif, their lower halves extending much lower than the end of the basin side; the upper rim has a rope moulding and there is an Inscription [illegible in the source] just below it. Described and illustrated in Maquívar (2001: 13 and unnumbered plate) as a baptismal font of the 16th century on which the carved angels that appear to hold the bowl are a clear example of tequitqui / mixed native-christian art [="los ángeles tallados que simulan detener el vaso, son un claro ejemplo del arte tequitqui o indocristiano]. Described, studied and illustrated in Reyes-Valerio (2000: 302ff), who describes a shield on one of the sides of the font: a tiger's claw, an eagle's talon, two reed plants on the water, a heart pierced by an arrow, and a crest ["una garra de tigre u ocelotetepontli; una garra de águila o cuauhtetepontli; dos plantas de carrizo, caña o ácatl sobre el agua; un corazón atravesado por una flecha y un penacho"]. Reyes-Valerio (ibid.)describes also the motif on the lower base: 4.rabbit, or "Nahui Tochtli", which, according to Alfonso Caso, translates to the date "1574". [The same author, R-V, points out that the same shield can be found on the public fountain opposite the parish church]. Duverger (2003: 130-131) also identifies the symbol next to the angels as the Nahua "4.rabbit" ["le mononahua 4-lapin"]. Duverger (ibid.) comments on the resemblance of the position of the holding angels to that of the night-gods in the Codex Borbonicus. Illustrated in Lara (2008).