yohualli (Mdz6r)

If we read the gray mass of the circle as representing the earth, land, or a place, then the glyph may be a compound that includes the locative suffix -tlan. It is worth noting, however, that the usual way of showing the locative suffix "tlan" is to show teeth (tlantli). In the other attestation of yohualli, one can see dots and u-shaped symbols that also appear in tlalli and milli, suggesting land and agriculture. However, the twelve red, heavy-lidded eyes share a reading of "stars" (citlalli), and the gray mass without the agricultural marks could simply suggest the dark night sky. Furthermore, whereas we often see land from a bird's eye view, we may be looking up to the night sky. If so, its circular shape may be owing to the way the sky seems circular from the vantage point of standing on the ground and looking up. There may have been a religious significance to night time, too, given the importance of "lord of the near, of the nigh, the night, the wind," quoted in our online dictionary under the entry for yohualli.