Tlayacac (MH748v)

Tlayacac (MH748v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the place name Tlayacac (perhaps “At the Lead”) shows a simplified face (xayacatl) of an eye, forehead, and nose (yacatl). The term for nose serves as a phonetic indicator for the latter part of the name, ending with -yacac. The gloss gives Tlayacac (or Tlayacanqui, given the small symbol at the end, possibly a q).

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

The concept of leader builds upon the word for nose (yacatl), which leads the way as a person walks, being the foremost part of the anatomy. See below for some other examples of noses relating to place names and personal names. Faces tend to be more elaborate. The profile view takes precedence, but very occasionally, one gets a frontal view of a face, possibly through European artistic influence.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Source Manuscript: 
Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
place name
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as phonogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Anatomy, human body parts
Names (places)
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

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

caras, narices, nariz, líderes, guiar, nombres de lugares

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

tlayacanqui, leader or guide, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlayacanqui
-yacanqui, leader, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/yacanqui
yaca(tl), nose, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/yacatl
xayaca(tl), face, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xayacatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

posiblemente, A La Cabeza

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 748v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=575&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: 

Tlayacac (Mdz24v)

Tlayacapan (Mdz24v)

Yacatl (MH564r)

Yacacozauhqui (MH736r)

xayacatl (Mdz44r)

xayacatl (Mdz13v)