Xolotl (MH638v)

Xolotl (MH638v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the divine force-leader-ancestor called Xolotl, here a personal name (attested male), shows the head of a dog (xoloitzcuintli) with squared-off ears. The dog is shown in profile looking toward the viewer's right. Its teeth are visible. The dog's face has wrinkles, which may be indicative of the old age of the deity, but also typify the wrinkled face that is characteristic of the dog (see below). The adjective for wrinkled is xolochtic.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

The squared-off ears are reminiscent of some of the glyphs for nenetl (when meant to convey a meaning of deity image or ixiptla).

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

solotl

Gloss Normalization: 

Xolotl

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: 
deity name/theonym
personal name
Syntax: 
adjective
noun(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Aging (People, Animals, Things)
Animals, incl. Birds, Bugs, Insects, Reptiles, etc.
Gender (male)
Mouth/Beak Open
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Politics, Power, Governance
Religion (Indigenous)
Teeth Protruding/Noticeable
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
facing right
profile view
wrinkles
Keywords: 

old men, aging, viejos, envejecimiento, dogs, perros, deidades, wrinkled, arrugado,
ancestors, deities, divinities, divinidades, fuerzas divinas, rulers, canines

Museum & Rare Book Comparisons: 
Museum/Rare Book Notes: 

This image of a xoloitzcuintli comes from Flickr and comes up in Google as being Creative Commons.

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

Xolotl, deity and/or ancestor-ruler, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/Xolotl
xoloitzcuin(tli), the native Mexican (almost) hairless dog, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xoloitzcuintli
xoloch(tic), wrinkled, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xolochtic

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Xolotl

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 638v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=359st=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: 
"s" for x
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Xolotl (Mdz51r)

xolotl (MH553r)

xolochtic (Mdz13r)

xolochtic (Mdz38r)

Nencauh (MH568r)

Nenquizqui (MH492v)

Nentequitl (MH543r)

Xolohua (MH661r)