Tlaltecatl (Verg33r)

Tlaltecatl (Verg33r)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This compound Nahuatl hieroglyph is a black-line drawing of the personal name Tlaltecatl, attested here as a man’s name. This name was popular in the Tetzcoco region. A famous man with this name is often seen as Tlaltecatzin. The compound starts at the bottom with two front teeth (tlantli), indicating that the name starts with Tla-. Above that is a horizontal rectangle with two subdivisions, representing parcels of agricultural land (tlalli), which also points to the start of the name, Tlal-. Above the land is a pair of lips (tentli), which provide the phonetic -te- syllable of the name. Finally, to the left of the lips is a stream of water (atl) with five splashes ending in alternating shells and droplets. This provides the phonetic indicator that the name ends in -atl (actually, -catl, a near homophone). This name could refer to “One From the Land” or “One from Tlallan.” A very similar compound for Tlaltecatl appears on folios 34v and 36v.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

This compound for Tlaltecatl is more elaborate than the one on folio 11 verso. Often, however, this name will simply be represented in various codices by a rectangle of land (as in the Matrícula de Huexotzinco example, below). The example in the Florentine Codex has a square of land with four subdivisions and two drops of rain at the top.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss or Text Image:

Gloss/Text Diplomatic Transcription:

antonio. tlaltecatl.

Gloss/Text Normalization:

Antonio Tlaltecatl

Gloss/Text Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Vergara, Codex (Verg)

Date of Manuscript:

1539

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

near Tepetlaoztoc, near Tetzcoco

Semantic Categories:

homophony, rebus

personal name

phonetic dimensions

Syntax:

noun(s)

syllable: a or atl (from atl)

syllable: te, teo, or tel (from tetl or tentli)

syllable: tla, tlan, or tlal (from tlantli)

Writing Features:

compound of phonogram(s) & logogram(s)

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Agriculture, Gardens, Stock Raising

Anatomy, human body parts

Gender (male)

Land Parcels, Use, Issues

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Water

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Parts (compounds or simplex + notation):

Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation):

upward

Keywords:

tierras, parcela, parcelas, agricultura, dientes, nombres de hombres, labios, agua, sílabos fonéticos, fonetismo, nombres de hombres, men’s names

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

tlal(li), land, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlalli
-teca(tl), inhabitant of a person from a place ending in -tlan, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tecatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

“Uno de la Tierra,” o “Uno de Tlallan”

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Available at Codex Vergara, folio 33r, https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84528032/f73.item.zoom, accessed 1 March 2026. The Vergara is associated with Tepetlaoztoc, in the larger region of Tetzcoco, c. 1539–1543. “Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF.” We would also appreciate a citation to the Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs, https://aztecglyphs.wired-humanities.org/.

Image Source, Rights:

Image Rights: The non-commercial reuse of images from the Bibliothèque nationale de France is free as long as the user is in compliance with the legislation in force and provides the citation: “Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France” or “Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF.” We would also appreciate a citation to the Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs, https://aztecglyphs.wired-humanities.org/

Orthography:

intrusive period

Historical Contextualizing Image: