Tlaltetecuin (MH712r)

Tlaltetecuin (MH712r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This simplex glyph for the personal name, Tlaltetecuin (“Earth Stomper” or "Earth Pounder"), is attested here as pertaining to a man. It shows a nude leg in profile, facing toward the viewer’s right. The foot of this leg is planted on the ground, which is represented by a rectangle that is dotted (a seeded agricultural field, tlalli). This land is shown in a bird's eye view, even while the leg is shown in a profile view with elevation. The earth also has color, yellow and gray. Tlaltetecuin is a famous name for a divine force, a figure that pounds the earth with the force of many people (tlaltecuini).

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

Tlaltetecuin and Ixtlilton were related deities associated with medicine and dances that bring health, but also with the communication between humans and the divine world. For more information, see Katarzyna Mikulska, Tejiendo Destinos (2015).

Might earth pounding have something to do with earthquakes? Or might an Earth stomper be a dancer? Or perhaps one who is tamping down the ground after seeding it? Assistance with the interpretation of this glyph and the deity name would be appreciated.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Semantic Categories:

personal name

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

simplex or element as logogram

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Agriculture, Gardens, Stock Raising

Anatomy, human body parts

Gender (male)

Land Parcels, Use, Issues

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Religion (Indigenous)

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

gray

white/neutral

yellow or golden

Shapes and Perspectives:

bird's eye view

facing right

profile view

Keywords:

tierras, sementeras, semillas, cultivar, pisotear, nombres de deidades, nombres famosos, nombres de hombres

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

Tlaltetecuin, the name of a divine force or deity, Ixtlilton, the Earth Stomper, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlaltetecuin
tlaltecuini, for many people to stomp their feet, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlaltecuini
tlal(li), land, earth, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlalli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

posiblemente, El Pisoteador de la Tierra

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 712r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=502&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: