matlactzontli pesos (Chav1)

matlactzontli pesos (Chav1)
Compound Glyph
Notation

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph or notation for matlactzontli (4,000) shows a frontal view of a vertical bundle of sticks, cut grass, or human hairs (a tzontli), which represents 400, and another sign on top with a round black peso coin and diamond shape meaning ten (matlactli) in front of it. This is a reference to a number of pesos (a loanword found in the Nahuatl text of the contextualizing image), which is a round black coin. The combination intends a multiplication effect, i.e., 10 x 400, which equals 4,000. The additional gloss "4 v" which appears above the tzontli signs, also supports this reading.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

See below for other representations of tzontli, whether representing the number 400 or a thick lock of hair.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

mahtlactzōtli.

Gloss Normalization: 

matlactzontli

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Chavero, Codex (Chav)
Date of Manuscript: 

1578

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Semantic Categories: 
numbers
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Hair (human or animal)
Money, Coins, Prices
Numbers, Math
Plants, Flora
Wood, wooden things
Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
circle, circular or rounded
diamond shape(s)
frontal view
tied, bound, or bundled
vertical, upright
Parts (of compounds or simplex + notation): 
3
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
front to back
Keywords: 

pesos, monedas, dinero, coins, money

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

matlactzon(tli), 400, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/matlactzontli
tzon(tli), hair, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzontli
-tzon(tli), when preceded by a number, multiples of four hundred, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzontli-0

Image Source: 

The Codex Chavero of Huexotzinco (or Códice Chavero de Huexotzinco), https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_03246_001/?sp=1

Image Source, Rights: 

The Codex Chavero of Huexotzinco (or Códice Chavero de Huexotzinco) is held by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México. It is published online by the World Digital Library and the Library of Congress, which is “unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection.”

Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

peso (Chav1)