Huilacatl (MH528r)

Huilacatl (MH528r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Huilacatl (here, attested as a man’s name) shows an anthropomorphic snail (huilacatl). Its curving body is out of the shell. Its head is human-like, shown in profile, looking toward the viewer's right. The head does not have any hair.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

If this is a name that is literally not about a snail, it could be about a flute, for the verb huilacapitzoa refers to the playing of a flute. If this is the case, then the snail is a phonetic indicator and not meant literally. The curving body of the snail, in such a case, could also serve as a volute relating to sound.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Gloss Diplomatic Transcription:

luys . huilacatl

Gloss Normalization:

Luis Huilacatl

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)

visible movement

visible sound

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Anatomy, human body parts

Animals, incl. Birds, Bugs, Insects, Reptiles, etc.

Gender (male)

Movement

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

curving, curvy, curved

spiraling, swirling, coiling, curling

Keywords:

caracoles, snails, animales

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

huilaca(tl), a type of snail, or a flute, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/huilacatl
huilacapitzoa, to play a flute, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/huilacapitzoa

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 528r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=135&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: