Contemporary Expressions of Nahua Culture
Queen Isabella of Spain decreed that conquistadors could not enslave any Native American tribes they encountered unless they practiced cannibalism, hence incidences of indigenous cannibalism may have been wildly exaggerated. Chagoya alludes to such exaggerations by juxtaposing a speared deer from the indigenous Codex Borgia with European references to Aztec cannibalism. The French cartoon character Asterix speaks from within a colonial façade decorated with European renderings of Aztecs feasting on human limbs. As his eyes are shut tight, Asterix is blind to the subject of his commentary.
Loan courtesy of Ellen T. Baird