Matlactli (MH553v)

Matlactli (MH553v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Matlactli (or Mahtlactli, with the glottal stop), meaning “Ten,” is attested here as a man’s name. It shows a wide diamond shaped quatrefoil with a thick black line and no colorant in the center. There was a gloss for this name, but it was crossed out, and the Roman numeral X was added to the right of the glyph.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

In many codices this symbol is a notation, and perhaps here it is, too. It is possible that this was once a calendrical name and the day sign (from the 260-day divinatory calendar, the tonalpohualli) has disappeared or been suppressed over time. The tonalpohualli, being used for "prognostication and divination, had no parallel and contravened Christian dogma so its use was disavowed and prohibited." [See Rubén G. Mendoza, Ritual Human Sacrifice in Mesoamerica (2024), 439.] Nevertheless, calendrics were an important part of Nahuas' religious views of the cosmos, and this practice survived a long time under colonialism, even if in modified form.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss or Text Image:

Gloss/Text Diplomatic Transcription:

.x.

Gloss/Text Normalization:

Gloss/Text Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzinco, Puebla

Semantic Categories:

calendrics

numbers

personal name

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

simplex or element as logogram

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Numbers, Math

Religion (Indigenous)

Time, Calendar, Frequency

Cultural Content, Credit:

José Aguayo-Barragán and Stephanie Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

diamond shape(s)

pointed (see also spiky)

quincunx or quatrefoil

Keywords:

numbers, números, ten, diez, diamantes, mahtlactli, nombres de hombres

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

matlac(tli), ten, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/matlactli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

Diez

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 533v, World Digital Library. https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=186&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).

Orthography:

intrusive period

Historical Contextualizing Image: