tonalli (MH559v)

tonalli (MH559v)
Element from a Compound

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of an element from the compound glyph for Tonaloxochitl, a woman's name, features the quincunx relating to the concept of tonalli--sun, day, or personal animating force from the sun that could reside in the head of humans. This drawing of tonalli shows four circular shapes, each with a dot in the center, and a smaller circle where they join together. Coming out from between each of the four circular shapes are short sticks, stems, or perhaps pointers for the four cardinal directions.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

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

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Syntax: 
noun(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Celestial Phenomena
Religion (Indigenous)
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
circle(s) (small, often concentric)
pointed (see also spiky)
quincunx or quatrefoil
Keywords: 

sun, sol, día, day, fuerza personal del sol, personal energy source

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

tonal(li), sun, day, or a solar-derived animating force located in the human head, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tonalli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

la fuerza personal del sol que reside en la cabeza

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 559v, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=198&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).

See Also: 

Tonaloxochitl (MH559v)

tonalli (Mdz12r)

tonalli (Mdz7v)

tonalli (T1871:1)

Xochitonal (MH568r)

Xochitonal (MH565v)

Xochitonal (MH591v)