Itzcoatl (MH488v)

Itzcoatl (MH488v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Itzcoatl (“Obsidian Blade-Serpent,” attested here as a man’s name) shows a bird's eye view of part of a serpent's back, with obsidian points coming out on both sides. The serpent has some stripes on the sides and some small circles in the center of its back.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

To understand this representation of Itzcoatl better, see some other such glyphs below. There is an unexpected similarity between this sign and a sign for Tetlacuilol (also below).

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

luys ytzcovatl

Gloss Normalization: 

Luis Itzcoatl

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: 
Animals, incl. Birds, Bugs, Insects, Reptiles, etc.
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Xitlali Torres

Shapes and Perspectives: 
pointed (see also spiky)
spiky
Parts (compounds or simplex + notation): 
2
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
inward (from outside in)
Keywords: 

obsidiana, piedras, navajas, cuchillos, serpientes, culebras, víboras, serpents, snakes, knives, flints, nombres de hombres

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

itztli, obsidian, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/itztli.
coatl, snake, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/coatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Serpiente de Obsidiana, o Navaja-Culebra

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 488v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=56&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: 

Itzcoatl (Mxnus26)

Itzcoatl (MH595r)

Itzcoa (MH551v)

Itzcoatl (TR29r)

Itzcoatl (TR41v)

Tetlacuilol (MH522v)