milli (Mdz2v)

The dots and c-shapes would appear to represent something to do with cultivation. Perhaps they are the markings of the huictli, digging stick, which could penetrate the ground, and the farmer would drop seeds in the holes, or perhaps the dots are the seeds themselves. The segments may suggest a parceling of the agricultural land, as parcels were often distributed on a usufruct basis to families of the communities. In Nahuatl testaments of the Spanish-colonial period, such parcels were typically called milli or tlalli, perhaps with the latter being slightly larger parcels. These terms are under investigation for their precise distinctions. In this collection, the ixtlahuatl (plain) has similar, possibly agricultural markings, as does the amilli. The word milli was the basis for the term milpa, which entered Spanish and became equated with corn field.