Tlapal (MH770r)

Tlapal (MH770r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Tlapal (perhaps "Little Man") is attested here as a man's name. it shows a man's head in profile, facing toward the viewer's right. He appears to wear something like a headband.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

A couple of other examples of Tlapal involve the heads of men where a patch of hair is missing. This remains undeciphered. At least one other Tlapal name glyph shows a writing or painting implement, suggesting that one refers to “Paint” or “Color” (such as red). Several additional glyphs that start with Tlapal- include some red paint (see below). Two of these refer to an ethnicity, Tlapaltecatl, which seems to refer to a person from Tlapallan. Could these glyphs of men with partially shaved heads be a reference to that ethnicity?

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

dio tlapal

Gloss Normalization: 

Diego Tlapal

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: 
Anatomy, human body parts
Gender (male)
Hair (human or animal)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
facing right
profile view
Keywords: 

cabeza, vendas, cintas, peinado, nombres de hombres

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

tlapal, a little man, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlapal-0

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Hombresito

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 770r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=614&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: 

Tlapal (MH642r)

Tlapal (MH857v)

Tlapaltecatl (MH522r)

Tlapaltecatl (MH832r)

Tlapalaztatl (MH650v)