mitl (Mdz23r)

mitl (Mdz23r)
Element from a Compound

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This element for an arrow (mitl) has been carved from the compound sign for the place name, Miacatla. It is a standard arrow in design and color, with the exception of the elaborate point it carries. The shaft is from an acatl reed, yellow with red ends, and decorated with a brown eagle wing feather and a white down feather. Arrows can appear horizontal or vertical (as this one). See below, right.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Mendoza/Mendocino, Codex (Mdz)
Date of Manuscript: 

c. 1541, but by 1553 at the latest

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Mexico City

Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Feathers
Technology (all types), plus Tools
Weapons, Shields, Armor
Colors: 
brown
red
white/neutral
yellow or golden
Shapes and Perspectives: 
pointed (see also spiky)
vertical, upright
Keywords: 

arrows, flechas

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

mi(tl), arrow, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/mitl

Additional Scholars' Interpretations: 

arrow

Image Source: 

Codex Mendoza, folio 23 recto, https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/2fea788e-2aa2-4f08-b6d9-648c00..., image 56 of 188.

Image Source, Rights: 

The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, hold the original manuscript, the MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1. This image is published here under the UK Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0).

See Also: 

Miacatla (Mdz23r)

mitl (Mdz2r)

mitl (Mdz40r)

mitl (Mdz42r)

Tizamitl (MH526r)

Tzihuacmitl (MH526r)