Tezcatl (MH642r)

Tezcatl (MH642r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name or status, Tezcatl ("Mirror"), attested here as a man's name, shows a circle that is painted black. Surrounding this circle is a white band, and then another, outermost band of black. This represents a black obsidian mirror (tezcatl).

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

tezcatl

Gloss Normalization: 

Tezcatl

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: 
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Stones, Rocks, Lapidary, Masonry
Technology (all types), plus Tools
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black
white/neutral
Shapes and Perspectives: 
circle(s) (small, often concentric)
circle, circular or rounded
frontal view
Keywords: 

mirrors, espejos, nombres de hombres

Museum & Rare Book Comparisons: 
Museum/Rare Book Notes: 

This obsidian mirror is a part of a collection of objects that derive from prior to the Spanish invasion and colonization of what is now Mexico. It is located in the Museo Regional in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Photo by S. Wood, 4 February 2025.

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

tezca(tl), mirror, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tezcatl

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 642r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=366&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: 
See Also: 

tezcatl (MH504r)

tezcatl (MH504v)

Tezcatl (MH617r)