elaborate cloth

The mesh above each flag appears to represent cloth tribute. The red rectangle with the blue flower in this detail may be an indicator that the forty pieces or bundles of cloth had to have this particular design. Red cloth was expensive, as it had to be dyed (possibly with cochineal). The elaborate blue and gold pattern shown on what appears to be a tribute cloth is reminiscent of ornate weaving patterns that went into making damask in Europe, designs that indigenous women would have been required to replicate. [SW]