Quetzalayatl (MH828r)

Quetzalayatl (MH828r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Quetzalayatl (“Quetzal-Cloak”) is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows a frontal view of a horizontal rectangular cloth with a mesh pattern and a white border. Hanging down from the lower border are six quetzallli feathers of somewhat varying lengths.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

This would be a fancy cloak that an elite male would wear. One other Quetzalayatl (below) is quite different in appearance from this one. To see a sampling of other ayatl glyphs, see below.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Gloss Diplomatic Transcription:

juā quetzalayatl

Gloss Normalization:

Juan Quetzalayatl

Gloss Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories:

personal name

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

simplex or element as logogram

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Feathers

Gender (male)

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Textiles, Clothing, Hats, Regalia

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

checked, cross-hatched, or mesh

frontal view

rectangular

spiky

Keywords:

textiles, rectángulo, maya, tejido, plumas, nombres de hombres

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

quetzal(li), quetzal feathers, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/quetzalli
aya(tl), cloak, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/ayatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

Quetzal-Manta

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 828r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=730&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).

Historical Contextualizing Image: