Tlile (MH544r)

Tlile (MH544r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This painting of the simplex glyph for the personal name Tlile ("Possessor of Black" or perhaps "He Has Black Ink") is attested here as a man's name. The glyph is a round black blob, suggesting a drop of ink (tlilli) that is possessed (-e or -eh, with the glottal stop).

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

If this name refers to one who has black ink, it suggests someone who is educated, perhaps a writer (tlacuilo), or simply wise. The -e suggests possession.

Given how many names that are nouns drop the absolutive (-tl), this could be short for "Black Bean" (tliletl). One can imagine a dark-skinned baby affectionately being given such a name. But glyphs of black beans often have a white spot.

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, Mexico

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as logogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Color names
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Writing, Literacy
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
circle, circular or rounded
Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 

tlil(li), black ink, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlilli
-e, possessor suffix, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/e-0
tlile, one who possesses the color black, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlile

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 544r, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=167&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: