Milacatl (MH699v)

Milacatl (MH699v)
Compound Hieroglyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Milacatl (“Cane Field” or “Reed Field”) is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows a horizontal rectangle in a bird’s eye view. This represents an agricultural field (milli) that is full of cane or reeds (acatl).

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

This visual must not be mistaken for a piece of paper with writing on it (such as Amatlacuilol MH 522v), even though some glyphs do suggest a possible overlap between writing on paper and digging in the earth (see other examples, below, containing elements that).

A reference to another person with this name spells it Millacatl (milli + tlacatl), suggesting an alternative meaning of Field Person. If that is the intended meaning, then the reeds or canes (acatl) would be serving as phonetic indicators.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss or Text Image: 
Gloss/Text Diplomatic Transcription: 

juā milacātl

Gloss/Text Normalization: 

Juan Milacatl

Gloss/Text Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
phonetic possibilities
Syntax: 
noun(s)
syllables/two: aca (from acatl, reed)
Writing Features: 
compound fully logographic
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Agriculture, Gardens, Stock Raising
Gender (male)
Landscape Features
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Plants, Flora
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Parts (compounds or simplex + notation): 
2
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
inward (from outside in)
Keywords: 

sementeras, milpas, cañas, rectángulo, marcas, nombres de hombres

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

mil(li), agricultural field, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/milli
aca(tl), cane or reed, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/acatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Milpa de Caña

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 699v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=479&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 overbar
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Amatlacuilol (MH522v)

Mocuemicuilo (MH521v)

Cuentlacuilol (MH487v)

Tlalicuilol (MH551r)

Xalicuilol (MH603r)