tepoztli (Mdz10v)

tepoztli (Mdz10v)
Element from a Compound

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This element for copper or a copper ax or hatchet (tepoztli)] that was used for shaving or chipping wood has been carved from the compound sign for the place name, Tlaximaloyan. The handle, painted a terracotta color, appears to be wooden. The blade is tied on. It is small where it is attached to the wood, and it flares out as a blade, nearly triangular in shape.

Description, 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

Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Metals, Minerals, Mining
Technology (all types), plus Tools
Wood, wooden things
Colors: 
tan
Shapes and Perspectives: 
profile view
facing left
Keywords: 

tools, herramientas, metales, madera, hachas

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

tepoz(tli), a workable metal; copper, iron; devices made from metal, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tepoztli

Image Source: 

Codex Mendoza, folio 10 verso, https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/2fea788e-2aa2-4f08-b6d9-648c00..., image 31 of 188.

Image Source, Rights: 

The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, hold the original manuscript, the MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1. This image is published here under the UK Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0).

See Also: 

Tlaximaloyan (Mdz10v)