huacalli (MH487v)

huacalli (MH487v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph associated with Oztomecatl shows a pack frame (huacalli). This frontal view of the frame does have it resting on its side, with the top toward the viewer's left. It is something like a wooden ladder with straps, seemingly shoulder straps.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

The components of the word huacalli include hua- (possession) and -calli (construction, container, when not referring to a house or a building, although even that works metaphorically). The huacal (in contemporary Mexican Spanish) is known to carry babies on the back, as discussed in Mexicolore. Some people, such as long-distance merchants, carried things for a living. The huacalli is something like the cacaxtli (see below).

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Cultural Content, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Keywords: 

pack frame, carrying frame, marco de transporte, wooden, madera, baby carrier, portabebés

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

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 487v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=53&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).