tlaolli (CST8)

tlaolli (CST8)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This painting of the simplex glyph for the term tlaolli shows a container with dried corn kernels at the top. This appears to be the measure called either fanega (a loan from Spanish that measures about 1.5 bushels) or the almud another Spanish loanword (which originally came from al-mudd, a dry measure in Arabic, and before that from Latin modius). The measuring instrument is shown in a profile view, facing left. It is apparently made of wood, it has a point on the left end, and a small handle appears just below the point. The kernels are white.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

The municipality of Requena, Spain, offers an image of an almud from 1805 on line. While the word “almud” does not appear in the text next to this glyph, it is a word that did enter Nahuatl from Spanish and is still in used today as (almoh) in Eastern Huastecan Nahuatl. For more on the Codex Sierra, see Kevin Terraciano’s study (2021). For a fanega of grain see the glyphs below (for wheat, from CST40, or maize kernels, from CST41).

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Source Manuscript: 
Date of Manuscript: 

1550–1564

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Santa Catalina Texupan, Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca

Syntax: 
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Other Cultural Influences: 
Keywords: 

almoh, almo, almudes, fanegas, granos, agricultura, comida

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 
Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

granos de maíz

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Códice Sierra-Texupan, plate 8, page dated 1553. Origin: Santa Catalina Texupan, Mixteca Alta, State of Oaxaca. Kevin Terraciano has published an outstanding study of this manuscript (Codex Sierra, 2021), and in his book he refers to alphabetic and “pictorial” writing, not hieroglyphic writing. We are still counting some of the imagery from this source as hieroglyphic writing, but we are also including examples of “iconography” where the images verge on European style illustrations or scenes showing activities. We have this iconography category so that such images can be fruitfully compared with hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphic writing was evolving as a result of the influence of European illustrations, and even alphabetic writing impacted it.
https://bidilaf.buap.mx/objeto.xql?id=48281&busqueda=Texupan&action=sear...

Image Source, Rights: 

The Biblioteca Digital Lafragua of the Biblioteca Histórica José María Lafragua in Puebla, Mexico, publishes this Códice Sierra-Texupan, 1550–1564 (62pp., 30.7 x 21.8 cm.), referring to it as being in the “Public Domain.” This image is published here under a Creative Commons license, asking that you cite the Biblioteca Digital Lafragua and this Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs.

Orthography: 
Historical Contextualizing Image: