Nopalapan (CmpRG)

This is a compound glyph for the toponym Nopalapan ("On the Nopal Waters"). It appears on the map included with the 1580 Relación Geográfica de Cempoala (originally, Cempohuallan) of the contemporary state of Hidalgo. It features a somewhat stylized depiction of a hill or mountain (tepetl with a downward flowing body of water--most likely an apantli--and three superimposed images of nopal cactus pads (pencas, in Spanish). In combination, this gives nopalapan, including the locative -apan (“on or at the waters”). The prickly pear cactus sprouting from the right top of the hill is a semantic complement for the nopal part of the place name, while the function of the other plant element to its left (which looks something like a blooming century plant) is not obvious; it may be a semantic indicator flagging the kind of flora commonly found in the area. The tepetl element does not contribute directly to the composition of the name represented by the glyph. It appears to be another semantic indicator underlining that this is a named feature in the area as well--as the source of the water bearing its name. All of the elements of the glyph are outlined in black. The hill is shaded with green fading to browns. The water element is blue and the three superimposed nopal pads are green. The water has three prongs hanging down, two of them tipped with droplets (or precious gems) and the one in the middle with a turbinate shell, all of them uncolored. The nopal and the plant next to it are shaded in green. The nopal fruit is pink topped with what appear to be red flowers, while some of what may be blossoms on the other plant are left uncolored.