Xalacatl (MH678r)

Xalacatl (MH678r)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name or ethnicity, Xalacatl (perhaps "Person from Xallan), is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows what appear to be two horns coming out of some sand (xalli), which consists of many dots. One might expect the second part of the name or ethnicity, -acatl, to be represented phonetically by reeds (acatl), but that is not the case. Other glyphs for xalacatl (sand flea) involve drawings of bugs or insects.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Another Xalacatl glyph in this collection (below) shows a representation of the flea or crustacean. If this one here does not refer to fleas, then it could be a fully logographic compound referring to reed plants that grow in sand.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

diego. xallacatl.

Gloss Normalization: 

Diego Xalacatl

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: 
personal name
phonetic dimensions
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
compound of phonogram(s) & logogram(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Animals, incl. Birds, Bugs, Insects, Reptiles, etc.
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Plants, Flora
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
dotted, granular, textured
Parts (compounds or simplex + notation): 
2
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
outward (from inside out)
Keywords: 

pulgas, insectos, bichos, arena, cuernos, plantas, cañas, xalaca, nombres de hombres

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

xalaca(tl), sand flea, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xalacatl
xal(li), sand, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xalli
aca(tl), reed or cane, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/acatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Pulga de Arena

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 678r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=436&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).

Orthography: 
"ll" for l
intrusive "l"
intrusive period
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Xalacatl (MH643r)

Xalaca (MH691r)