Chapol (MH519r)

The chapolin (chapulín, in Spanish) enjoys a special place in history as the "most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects," and their existence dates back 250 million years, according to Ilan Stavans, A Pre-Columbian Bestiary (2020), 14. Today, the chapolin holds an important place in Mexican cuisine, especially prevalent in restaurants in Oaxaca.

The personal name Chapol is preceded in the gloss by a Christian first name, Toribio. This man may have been named after Toribio de Benavente, also known as Motolinia ("One Who is Poor or Afflicted"). Motolinia was the first word the friar learned in Nahuatl, and he went on to learn the language well. He lived in the monastery in Huejotzingo. Doing a quick search for the name "Toribio" will produce an impressive result.

As in the case of so many personal names, the absolutive ending (-in) of chapolin has dropped away. Despite this, the concept of grasshopper is not in doubt. Why this grasshopper wears a cape has yet to be determined, but elite Nahua men wore capes (called tilmatli, or tilmahtli with the glottal stop), so perhaps the cape adds prestige or preciosity. See the image for Petlacalcatl below.