Tepetlaoztoc (TK204v)

This compound Nahuatl hieroglyph stands for the place name Tepetlaoztoc (today spelled Tepetlaoxtoc), which translates roughly as “In the Volcanic Rock Cave”). Tepetlaoztoc is an altepetl in the Tetzcoco (spelled Texcoco today) area. The compound glyph has four elements. Beginning at the bottom and reading upward, the first element represents human lips (tentli), which provides the phonetic indicator for the start of the name Te-. Next are two front teeth (tlantli), which provide the phonetic indicator for the -tla- syllable, which complements the second part of the woven mat (petlatl). The petlatl provides the disyllabogram (-petla-) that has nothing to do with the meaning of the place name, but rather contributes phonetically to the semantic root of tepetlatl (volcanic rock). At the top of the string of elements is a large sign for cave (oztotl), which plays a significant semantic role in the meaning of the place name. This cave has iconography for a mountainous exterior, but the opening to the cave is the mouth of what might be called an earth monster. This is a frontal view that reveals a mouth with a red interior and ridges on the roof of the mouth and white teeth that include some long fangs. The mouth is outlined with red and yellow. The eyes are open. Finally, the locative suffix (-c) is not shown visually.