matl (T1871:1)

matl (T1871:1)
Element from a Compound

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This element of the land measure unit (matl or cematl) looks like a hand. It is a part of a measurement of a parcel on a land document. The sign is so small (magnified here) the coloring is difficult to determine. The hand is upright. The thumb is on the viewer's left (so likely a left hand). Only the thumb and three fingers are visible.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Matl is often associated more with measurements of an arm's length or even two arms outstretched, from hand to hand, than the literal dimension of the length of a hand. Similarly, the term maitl could mean hand or arm. In the context of the manuscript here, this hand is paired with a red banner, which would refer to 20 matl or cempohualmatl, and there are another 10 ones nearby, for a total measurement of 30 matl.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Source Manuscript: 
AGN Tierras 1871, exp. 1
Date of Manuscript: 

1558

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Cuauhtla, Morelos

Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Anatomy, human body parts
Time, Calendar, Frequency
Keywords: 

hands, manos, arms, brazos, brazas, medidas, tierras

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

ma(tl), hand or arm, a measurement, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/matl
ma(itl), hand/arm, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/maitl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

una braza

Image Source: 

Single-page codex, Archivo General de la Nación, México, Ramo de Tierras, vol. 1871, exp. 1, fol. 28r.

Image Source, Rights: 

The Archivo General de la Nación (AGN), México, holds the original manuscript. This image is published here under a Creative Commons license, asking that you cite the AGN and this Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs.

See Also: 

30 matl (T1871:1)