Yaotzalan (MH876v)

Yaotzalan (MH876v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Yaotzalan (perhaps “Between Combatants” or “Combatant in the Middle”) is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows a war shield (the usual sign for yaotl, combatant or enemy). This shield has two circles, on one each side, putting it “between” or “in the middle“(-tzalan). These circles have a few lines on them, but the meaning of those lines remains to be deciphered.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Something to watch is the use of circles or other shapes that work like brackets for clarifying placement with regard to adverbs. Also, the range of war shield designs is interesting, with some seemingly older and some having European influence. The best search terms are yaotl, chimalli, cuexyo, and xicalcoliuhqui.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

matheo yaotzalā

Gloss Normalization: 

Mateo Yaotzalan

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
Syntax: 
adverb
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
compound fully logographic
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
War or Conflict
Weapons, Shields, Armor
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
circle(s) (small, often concentric)
cross (x)
X-shapes
Parts (compounds or simplex + notation): 
2
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
outward (from inside out)
Keywords: 

entre, en medio, combatientes, guerra, guerreros, escudos, nombres de hombres

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

yao(tl), combatant or enemy, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/yaotl
-tzalan, between or in the middle, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzalan

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

posiblemente, Combatiente en Medio

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 876v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=825&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: 
"th" for t, d, or gd
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

yaotl (MH485r)