Toltecatl (MH746r)

Toltecatl (MH746r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This is a black-line drawing of the simplex Nahuatl hieroglyph for the personal name or occupation, Toltecatl (referring to a person from Tula or a skilled artisan). It is attested here as referring to a man. The glyph is a tall, vertical tule plant with two leaves on either side of the central shaft, which has what appears to be a cattail at the top.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Descripción del glifo o de la imagen iconográfica: 

Ian Mursell, editor and author of Mexicolore, writes: "The Toltecs were revered throughout ancient Mesoamerica as the people of a golden age, ruling at Tollan (now known as Tula). Everyone wanted to claim descent from them. ‘According to the Aztecs, the Toltecs were held to be the inventors of all artistry, from WRITING to gold working to medicine, and the very word “toltec” meant artist or craftsman’ (Miller & Taube 1993 - emphasis added)."

Gloss or Text Image: 
Source Manuscript: 
Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as logogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Art, Design, Crafts, etc.
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Plants, Flora
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
vertical, upright
Keywords: 

tules, etnicidad, pueblos, afiliación, nombres de hombres

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

tolteca(tl), inhabitant of Tula or a skilled artisan, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/toltecatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

una persona de Tollan (Tula)

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 746r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=570&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).

Orthography: 
"r" for l
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Toltecatl (MH616r)