Motlalo (MH677r)

Motlalo (MH677r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Motlalo (“He Ran”) is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows a road enclosed with parallel lines. Inside the road are three alternating footprints that suggest the verb “to run” (motlaloa). At the far-right end of this road is the head of a man in profile, facing right, as though he is the runner who has made the footprints.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

For more examples of the use of footprints for a variety of verbs, nouns, and a preposition, see the article on the left-hand navigation list, “Multivalence of Footprints.” The Gran Diccionario Náhuatl mentions “huidor” (one who runs away) along with “corredor” (one who runs) in the list of translations for motlaloani.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

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

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
Syntax: 
verb
preterit tense
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as logogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Anatomy, human body parts
Footprint(s), human
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Transportation, Travel, Roads
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
profile view
facing right
Keywords: 

motlaloh, correr, nombres de hombres

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

motlaloa, to run, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/motlaloa

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Corrió, o Se Escapó

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 677r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=434&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: 
"s" for z
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Pain (MH519r)

choloa (MH560r)