Xochitonal (MH591v)

Xochitonal (MH591v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Xochitonal (“Flower-Day,” "Flower-Sun," or a mythical iguana figure of Mictlan) is attested here as a man’s name. It shows a frontal view of a circular, anthropomorphic face with short black lines for rays around the edge. Coming up off the upper left region of this circle of small rays is a large, three-part blossom (xochitl).

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Tonalli can have varied meanings that include sun, day, and a personal animating force that was believed to be located in the head. The positioning of the flower in this glyph may relate to this location.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

diego xochitonal

Gloss Normalization: 

Diego Xochitonal

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

Parts (compounds or simplex + notation): 
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
Other Cultural Influences: 
Keywords: 

días, soles, fuerza personal del sol, sun, day, energy, shimmer, flowers, tonal

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

Xochitonal, a personal name and the name of a mythical creature (an iguana) in Mictlan, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xochitonal
xochi(tl), flower, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xochitl
tonal(li), life force, sun, day, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tonalli

Additional Scholars' Interpretations: 

James Lockhart (The Nahuas, 1992, 120) says Xochtonal is "Flower Fate," a name that is a poetic metaphor. Cuernavaca region, 1535–1545.

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

La Flor de la Energía Solar

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 
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: