Xochipan (MH604v)

Xochipan (MH604v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name or ethnic/pueblo affiliation, Xochipan (perhaps "In the Flowers" or "Flower-Flag"), is attested here as pertaining to a man. It shows a flower (xochitl) in a frontal view. It is contained within an upright banner (panitl). The flower has four petals and a center, making it a quincunx. The flag faces toward the viewer's right. The flag seems to be a phonetic indicator for the preposition, "in," and might not literally refer to a flag.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

If this is a Flower-Flag, then the compound would be fully logographic. This flower is reminiscent of the matlalin flower, which can also have four petals, although it can be found with three. The quincunx may suggest a cosmic or celestial significance, as might its precious blue color. See below for some comparisons with tonalli (day, sun, animating force).

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

alesandre xochipā

Gloss Normalization: 

Alejandro Xochipan

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
phonetic dimensions
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
compound of phonogram(s) & logogram(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Celestial Phenomena
Flags, banners
Flowers
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Names (places)
Plants, Flora
Socio-Political Units, Cities, Towns, Neighborhoods
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
facing right
frontal view
quincunx or quatrefoil
rectangular
vertical, upright
Parts (compounds or simplex + notation): 
2
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
outward (from inside out)
Keywords: 

flores, quincunce

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

xochi(tl), flower, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xochitl
pan(itl), flag or banner, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/panitl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

En la Flor

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 604v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=291&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: 

matlalin (MH518v)

matlalin (MH486r)

Atonal (MH554v)

Tonal (MH528v)

tonalli (MH559v)