Xalacatl (MH678r)

Xalacatl (MH678r)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Xalacatl (“Sand Flea”) is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows two curving reed (acatl) plants growing in sand (xalli), which consists of many dots. The acatl element of the glyph is a phonetic indicator; it does not really intend “reeds.”

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Another Xalacatl glyph in this collection (below) shows a representation of the flea or crustacean. If this one here does not refer to fleas, then it could be a fully logographic compound referring to reed plants that grow in sand.

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

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
phonetic dimensions
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
compound of phonogram(s) & logogram(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Animals, incl. Birds, Bugs, Insects, Reptiles, 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: 
dotted, granular, textured
Parts (compounds or simplex + notation): 
2
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
outward (from inside out)
Keywords: 

pulgas, arena, plantas, cañas, nombres de hombres

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

xalaca(tl), sand flea, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xalacatl
xal(li), sand, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xalli
aca(tl), reed or cane, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/acatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Pulga de Arena

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 678r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=436&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: 
"ll" for l
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Xalacatl (MH643r)