tonalli (Mdz7v)

A tonaili with four circles in a similar arrangement can be found in the Códice Matritense, on the shield of Ixtlilton. See Thouvenot 2008, 99. The quadripartite arrangements found in glyphs often relate to the cardinal directions or to divisions of time (with calendrical implications). The color red likely has a significance relating to the sun and its warmth, given that tona meant "to make warm with the sun." The meaning of tonalli is both day and sun, which makes sense since the passing of the sun over the earth takes place once per day. The sun was essential for agriculture and therefore for life. Tonalli also a type of energy collected inside a person's head. Elizabeth Hill Boone sees this sign as representing "day." (See: Stories in Red and Black, 2000, 35.) James Maffie (personal communication, 2022) has suggested the exploration of the relationship between tonalli and ilhuitl.