Tzapotlacatl (MH515r)

Tzapotlacatl (MH515r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This simplex glyph for the personal name or ethnic identity, Tzapotlacatl ("Person from Tzapotlan"), shows a leaf or branch with two pieces of fruit called sapota in English (tzapotl), one on either side of the leaf or branch. It is something of a bird's eye view. The fruits are rounded, being circular but also having a curved line on each one to give them three dimensions. One has something on one end that resembles the end of a pomegranate.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

This glyph could read Sapota-Person, but it is probably meant to indicate that this person is from Tzapotlan. But the ethnicity, however, could be expected to read Tzapoteco or Tzapotleco. Two other examples of names ending in -tlacatl appear below.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

luis tzapotlacatl

Gloss Normalization: 

Luis Tzapotlacatl

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Semantic Categories: 
Syntax: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood and Stephanie Wood

Keywords: 

fruits, frutas, food, comida, Zapotlacatl, zapotl, zapote

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

tzapo(tl), zapote, a fruit, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzapotl
Tzapotlan, a place name, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzapotlan
tlaca(tl), a man or a person, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlacatl
-catl,, suffix relating to an affiliation, often with a place, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/catl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Persona de Zapotlan o Zapote-Persona

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 515r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=109&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: