atl (Mdz13r)

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This element for water [atl 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.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

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.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Date of Manuscript: 

c. 1541, but by 1553 at the latest

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Mexico City

Syntax: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Keywords: 

water, shells

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 
Additional Scholars' Interpretations: 

water

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

el agua

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Codex Mendoza, folio 13 recto, https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/2fea788e-2aa2-4f08-b6d9-648c00..., image 36 of 188.

Image Source, Rights: 

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).