atl (Mdz13r)
This element for water [a(tl)] has been carved from the compound sign for the place name, Ahuitzotl. The turquoise-colored water swirls around, with white water droplets/beads and white turbinate shells splashing off.
Stephanie Wood
This representation of the glyph for atl is one of the most remarkable for the way it outlines the ahuitzotl, a certain little water animal, even curling around its tail, which we can see quite obviously as a result of carving away the animal and leaving just the water. If one were to be able to type glyphs on a Unicode keyboard and try to replicate compound glyphs, combining atomics in a realistic way, this kind of arrangement is an example of how impossible some combinations would be. It is a reminder of the artistry of glyph painters and the flair they could sometimes express. See our article on the versatility of atl glyphs here.
Stephanie Wood
c. 1541, but by 1553 at the latest
Stephanie Wood
water, shells
a(tl), water, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/atl
water
el agua
Stephanie Wood
Codex Mendoza, folio 13 recto, https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/2fea788e-2aa2-4f08-b6d9-648c00..., image 36 of 188.
The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, hold the original manuscript, the MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1. This image is published here under the UK Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0).
