Xocoyol (MH609r)

Xocoyol (MH609r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Xocoyol ("Sorrel") is attested here as a man's name. It shows a plant with three principal flowers and two additional stalks with buds or small flowers. The plant is leaning toward the viewer's right.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

The flowers have a bell (coyolli) shape, which may have influenced their name. Sorrel (xocoyolli), whether used as an herb or a vegetable, has a sour, lemony taste. Thus, perhaps the term xococ (sour) fed into the name, too ("sour bells").

According to ethnobotanist Richard Tan, xocoyoles (as the term has been Hispanized) are "a large class of plants with a characteristic sourness, used to flavor dishes," although they can also be enjoyed by just munching on the leaves when one is out in the field. He says they are also referred to in Spanish as "agritos," because of their sour taste. He adds that "Many Begonia species are xocoyoles, but many edible Oxalis species are, too." (Personal communication 9 March 2022.)

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
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: 
simplex or element as logogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Food, Eating, Cooking
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Plants, Flora
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
circle(s) (small, often concentric)
profile view
facing right
Keywords: 

sorrel, xocoyoles, plantas, nombres de hombres

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

xocoyol(li), sorrel, an herb, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xocoyolli
coyol(li), a small bell, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/coyolli
xococ, something sour, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xococ

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

La Azedera, o La Alazana

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 609r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=300&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: 

xocoyolli (Mdz41r)