Petlacalcatl (Mdz70r)

Petlacalcatl (Mdz70r)
Iconography

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This iconographic example is provided here as a comparison for the place name Petlacalco. It shows a man in profile, facing toward the viewer's right, sitting on a woven mat (petlatl)] with a woven back, which comprises a throne (icpalli). He is also wearing a cape with a multi-colored edting, and he is speaking, with turquoise-blue volutes emerging from his mouth. His hair comes to just below his ears, and he has bangs. His cape has a multicolored pattern along the edge. Behind him is a house (calli) or other type of building.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

The word petlacalcatl is a title, held by a governor or a treasurer. While we are including this as an example of iconography, the scene comprises elements that are glyphic, such as the turquoise-blue volutes or speech scrolls, the petlatl and icpalli standing for governance, the decorated cape standing for elite status, and the seated position with the knees up under the chin, which is standard for elite men.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

mayordo
mo
petlacalcatl

Gloss Normalization: 

mayordomo petlacalcatl

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

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

c. 1541, or by 1553 at the latest

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Mexico City

Syntax: 
noun(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Architecture, Construction, Buildings
Body postures
Gender (male)
Occupations
Scrolls (Speech, Song, etc.)
Social Hierarchy, Commoners, Elites
Textiles, Clothing, Hats, Regalia
Colors: 
blue (turquoise)
red
white/neutral
yellow or golden
Shapes and Perspectives: 
facing right
profile view
volute(s)
Keywords: 

oficios, señores, tilmas, petates, casas, edificios, autoridad, gobierno indígena

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

petacalcatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

el tesorero, el mayordomo que tiene cargo de los tributos

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Codex Mendoza, folio 70 recto, https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/2fea788e-2aa2-4f08-b6d9-648c00..., image 150 of 188.

Image Source, Rights: 

Original manuscript is held by the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1; used here with the UK Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SAq 3.0)

Historical Contextualizing Image: