Acamitl (MH493r)

Acamitl (MH493r)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Acamitl consists of two elements that are fused, a reed (acatl) and an arrow (mitl), to speak of a Reed-Arrow. One can see the arrow, with is point facing downward, but the arrow also has a long leaf coming off each side, reminding the reader that the arrow was made from a plant.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Most arrows (mitl) were made from the acatl plant, so Acamitl is somewhat redundant, emphasizing the source of the arrow. For comparison, see the acatl from the Codex Mendoza (below) that is also both the plant and the arrow, drawn and painted even more clearly. Arrows were used in hunting and in warfare. The bow and the arrow came into central Mexico with the southern migration from northern regions characterized by semi-sedentary peoples, such as the Chichimecas.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

parthasal acamitl

Gloss Normalization: 

Baltazar Acamitl

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: 
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Plants, Flora
Technology (all types), plus Tools
Weapons, Shields, Armor
Cultural Content, Credit: 

José Aguayo-Barragán and Stephanie Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
pointed (see also spiky)
vertical, upright
Parts (compounds or simplex + notation): 
2
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
inherent/internal/merged
Keywords: 

reeds, cañas, carrizo, arrows, flechas

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

aca(tl), reed, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/acatl
mi(tl), arrow or dart, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/mitl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

La Flecha de Carrizo

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 493r, World Digital Library. https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=65&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: 

acatl (Mdz23r)

acatl (Mdz23r)

acatl (MH483r)

mitl (Mdz40r)

mitl (Mdz42r)