Citlal (MH499r)

Citlal (MH499r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Citlal (here, attested as a man’s name) shows a frontal view of a six-pointed star (citlalin) with a small circle at the center. The points of the star are wavy or curvy.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

The stylistics of this star suggest European influence. Compare this star to stars in the Codex Mendoza, below, which are small white dots on a black background. Other stars, from other tlacuiloque in the Matrícula de Huexotzinco, look something like this one, but not always identical, suggesting that the Spanish friars' impact on the design of stars was widespread.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

Juan
çitlal

Gloss Normalization: 

Juan Citlal

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Celestial Phenomena
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
circle(s) (small, often concentric)
curving, curvy, curved
frontal view
pointed (see also spiky)
wavy
Other Cultural Influences: 
Spanish/European
Keywords: 

stars, estrellas

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 

citlal(in), star, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/citlalin-2

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 499r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=77&st=image

Image Source, Rights: 

This manuscript is hosted by the Library of Congress and the World Digital Library; used here with the Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SAq 3.0).

Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

citlalin (Mdz17v)

Mazahuatl (MH517v)

Mochiuh (MH521r)