tonalli (Mdz12r)

A tonaili with four circles in a similar arrangement can be found in the Códice Matritense on the shield of Ixtlilton. (See Thouvenot 2008, 99.) The quadripartite arrangements found in glyphs often relate to the cardinal directions or to divisions of time (with calendrical implications). The color red likely has a significance relating to the sun and its warmth, given that tona meant "to make warm with the sun." The meaning of tonalli is both day and sun, which makes sense since the passing of the sun over the earth takes place once per day. The sun was essential for agriculture and therefore for life.

Tonalli also a type of energy collected inside a person's head. James Maffie (personal communication, 2022) suggested the exploration of the relationship between tonalli and ilhuitl. Marc Thouvenot (2019, 86) suggests that we think of tonalli, when referring to a "day," as having a qualitative aspect, and ilhuitl, when referring to a "day," as having a quantitative one.

The human head is the location where the animal spirit might attach, too. See the examples below. The colorful skull, also below, shows a kind of target on the crown of the head, which suggests it is a special spot.