Quetzalecatl (MH609r)

Quetzalecatl (MH609r)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Quetzalecatl ("Quetzal Feather-Air" or "Quetzal Feather-Wind") is attested here as a man's name. It shows what appears to be the head of a bird with a huge beak and a protruding tongue. It is in profile, facing toward the viewer's right. The "beak" is about three times the width of the head. The animal's eye is open. On the top of its head, emerging stright upward, are what must be three quetzal feathers.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

The "ecatl" in this name suggests the divine force of the wind, Ehecatl. As is often the case, however, the reduplication of the "e" is not shown in the gloss.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

andres g~çalecatl

Gloss Normalization: 

Andrés Quetzalecatl (or Andrés Quetzalehecatl?)

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: 
compound fully logographic
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Animals, incl. Birds, Bugs, Insects, Reptiles, etc.
Feathers
Gender (male)
Mouth/Beak Open
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Religion (Indigenous)
Weather, Climate
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
facing right
profile view
Parts (of compounds or simplex + notation): 
2
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
downward
Keywords: 

feathers, quetzales, wind, air, breath, viento, aire, aliento

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

quetzal(li), quetzal feather, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/quetzalli
eca(tl), breath, air, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/ecatl
eheca(tl), wind, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/ehecatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Pluma de Quetzal-Aire o Pluma de fpartsQuetzal-Viento

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 609r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=300st=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: 
"g" for c, q, or x
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Quetzalecatl (CQ)

ecatl (MH609r)