tlatoque (CST28)

tlatoque (CST28)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This painting of the simplex glyph for rulers (tlatoque or tlahtoque, with the glottal stop, which is plural for tlatoani or tlahtoani, the singular) doubles as the glyph for pipiltin (plural of pilli), nobles. The glyph shows two men in profile, facing toward the viewer’s left. Both wear caps or hats and shirts or jackets. One has a red hat and a green shirt, and the other has a green hat and a red shirt. Only their heads and upper bodies show. The two men are inside a dark brown reverse L-shape. A black-line drawing behind their heads is not easily discerned. Presumably, one man is a tlatoani (perhaps the first one) and the other is a pilli (perhaps behind the tlatoani).

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

For more on the Codex Sierra, see Kevin Terraciano’s study (2021).

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, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Shapes and Perspectives: 
Other Cultural Influences: 
Keywords: 

nobles, hombres, jerarquía, gobierno, gobernantes, textiles

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

tlatoque, rulers, lords, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlatoque
tlatoani (or tlahtoani, with the glottal stop), ruler, lord, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tlatoani

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

gobernantes indígenas

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Códice Sierra-Texupan, plate 28, page dated 1559. 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=search

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.

Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: