Tzocotl (MH829r)

Tzocotl (MH829r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Tzocotl (“Little Thing”) is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows a tzontli, a tribute bundle of sticks or grasses that also represented the number 400 (also written as centzontli). The bundle has a white horizontal band across the middle, and in the center of that band is what appears to be a twisted cord or rope. This bundle serves as a phonetic indicator for the start of the name Tzo-. The -cotl part is not indicated visually.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Tzocoyotl and Xocoyotl seem to be the same term with different spellings, and we know that Xocoyotl refers to birth order. So, perhaps Tzocotl has some relationship to the meaning of Xocoyotl. Incidentally, a tzontli was also a tied hank of hair.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

benito tzocotl

Gloss Normalization: 

Benito Tzocotl

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

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

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
numbers
personal name
phonetic dimensions
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as phonogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Gender (male)
Measurements, Quantities
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Plants, Flora
Rope, cord
Tributes, Taxation, Service
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
frontal view
tied, bound, or bundled
Keywords: 

tzontles, cuatrocientos, manojos, atados, palos, pelos, nombres de hombres

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

tzocotzin, a small thing, a bit, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzocotzin

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

El Pequeñito

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 829r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=732&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: 

Tzontli (MH631r)

nauhtzontli (Chav1)

Cuauhtzon (MH519r)

Cuauhtzon (MH519r)

Tlaltzon (MH545r)

Tzompan (MH652v)

tzontli (TR21r)

tzontli (Mdz48r)