Xalixcatl (MH521r)

Xalixcatl (MH521r)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name or ethnic affiliation, Xalixcatl (here, attested male), shows a bird's eye view of rectangle (probably a parcel of land) with dots that suggest sand (xalli). In the middle of the sand is the frontal drawing a human eye (ixtli). The suffix (-catl) suggesting an affiliation is not shown visually.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

The resulting name could be translated literally as Sand-Eye Person, but it could have a different meaning if any of the parts are phonetic/rebus. Also, if the root is a toponym, such as Xalixco, then the -catl may refer to a person from that place. Xalixco is the original name for what is called Jalisco today.

Land parcels are often rectangular. See the example of tlalli below. The stylistics of the eye suggest European influence. Compare this eye against the red, white, and black one in the style of pre-contact times (also below).

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Gloss Diplomatic Transcription:

gasbar xaliscatl

Gloss Normalization:

Gaspar Xalixcatl

Gloss Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzinco, Puebla

Semantic Categories:

personal name

Syntax:

noun(s)

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Anatomy, human body parts

Gender (male)

Landscape Features

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Race, Ethnicity, Identity

Cultural Content, Credit:

Stephanie Wood and José Aguayo-Barragán

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

dotted, granular, textured

oval (see also leaf shaped)

rectangular

Other Cultural Influences:

Spanish/European

Keywords:

sand, arena, eyes, ojos

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

xal(li), sand, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xalli
ix(tli), eye, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/ixtli
-catl, person from, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/catl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

Persona de Xalixco (o Jalisco)

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 521r, World Digital Library. https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=121&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: