Aztatzon (Verg39v)

Aztatzon (Verg39v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This compound Nahuatl hieroglyph is a black-line drawing of the personal name Aztatzon (“Egret Headdress”), attested here as a man’s name. The hieroglyph has two elements, a white heron (also called an egret), shown in profile, facing left, with its neck curving, and its beak pointing to the ground. The bird’s feathers are somewhat mottled. Above and slightly to the left of the egret is a head of black hair (with the head removed). Hair and head can both represent the term tzontli, a phonetic indicator for the syllable -tzon which refers to a headdress in this case. The headdress might look like the head of an egret.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

This is the first Aztatzon name hieroglyph to enter this database (in March 2026), but there are many names that were either Aztatl (“Egret”) or have the element Azta- combined with something else. See some examples below. Included in the examples is a small headdress called the aztaxelli, also made from egret feathers.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss or Text Image:

Gloss/Text Diplomatic Transcription:

fran^co. aztatzo.

Gloss/Text Normalization:

Francisco Aztatzon

Gloss/Text Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Vergara, Codex (Verg)

Date of Manuscript:

1539

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

near Tepetlaoztoc, near Tetzcoco

Semantic Categories:

personal name

phonetic dimensions

Syntax:

noun(s)

syllable: tzo/tzon/tzom/zom (from tzontli, hair/head)

Writing Features:

compound of phonogram(s) & logogram(s)

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Animals: Birds

Feathers

Gender (male)

Jewelry, Crowns, or other Adornment

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

facing left

profile view

Parts (compounds or simplex + notation):

Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation):

upward

Keywords:

men’s names, nombres de hombres, pájaro, pájaros, plumas, egrets, herons, garzas, garcetas, tocado, tocados, cabello, headdresses, fonetismo

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

aztatzon(tli), a white heron (or egret) headdress, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/aztatzontli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

Tocado de Plumas de la Garceta

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Available at Codex Vergara, folio 39v, https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84528032/f86.item.zoom, accessed 10 March 2026. The Vergara is associated with Tepetlaoztoc, in the larger region of Tetzcoco, c. 1539–1543. “Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF.” We would also appreciate a citation to the Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs, https://aztecglyphs.wired-humanities.org/.

Image Source, Rights:

Image Rights: The non-commercial reuse of images from the Bibliothèque nationale de France is free as long as the user is in compliance with the legislation in force and provides the citation: “Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France” or “Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF.” We would also appreciate a citation to the Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs, https://aztecglyphs.wired-humanities.org/

Orthography:

dropped "n"

intrusive period

Historical Contextualizing Image: