Tlapaltecatl (MH835v)

Tlapaltecatl (MH835v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Tlapaltecatl (perhaps “Someone from Tlapallan”) is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows a nopalli cactus with red (tlapalli) dots all over it. It also has roots showing.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

In this case, tlapalli likely means dye, given the use of the nopalli (prickly pear cactus), from which a red dye is extracted in the form of parasites that grow on the branches. When squished, these parasites produce a red color, something like blood. This dye is called nocheztli, the blood of the nochtli (fruit of the prickly pear cactus). See below for other examples of names or ethnicities of people from a variety of places, such as Cempohuallan, Cholollan, Coatlan, and Itzcotlan. Also below are examples of objects that are red.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

juā tlapaltecatl

Gloss Normalization: 

Juan Tlapaltecatl

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
Syntax: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Shapes and Perspectives: 
Keywords: 

tintes, rojo, etnicidad, nombres de hombres

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Persona de Tlapallan

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 835v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=745&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: