seler] 



MEXICAN PICTURE WRITINGS — B'RAGMENT I 



153 



wished to say popotl, " broom '\ for the broom was made of a variety 

 of stitf grass (see the hierogWph Popothm, r/ and e) ; and, finally, 

 they also painted it to express the green bushes known as acxoyatl, on 

 which they offered the blood which flowed in tortures, self-inflicted in 

 honor of the gods (see /, taken from the Sahagun manuscript of the 

 Biblioteca del Palacio, expres- 

 sive of tlie religious ceremony 

 acxoya-temaliztli, " the layinti' 

 down of green bushes before the 

 idols ") . For the interpretation 

 of our hieroglyph in square 33 

 we thus have a choice of Zacat- 

 lan, Popotlan, and Acxotlan, all 

 well-known place names, any 

 one of which might be correct. 

 Of these I think we may ex- 

 clude Popotlan, for in its hiero- 

 glyph the band which fastens 

 the bush to the broom is usually 

 given. But we might choose 

 between Zacatlan and Acxotlan. 

 A place named Zacatlan is quite 

 regularly mentioned, together 

 with Uexotzinco, Tlaxcallan, 

 Tliliuhquitepec, and CholoUan, 

 in the chronicle of Tezozomoc. 

 The Anales of Chimalpahin 

 also mention together Chichi- 

 meca, Tenanca, Cuixcoca, Temi- 

 milolca, Zacanca, and Yliuipa- 

 neca. Acxotlan was one of the 

 most im]:)ortant barrios of 

 Chalco. The fact tliat the grass 

 (zacatl) in the place name is 

 usually painted yello\v, while 

 green seems to be the color most 

 naturally applied to the bush 

 (acxoyatl), militates perhaps 

 in favor of the latter meaning. 



The hieroglyph of the chieftain of this city is likewise quite unin- 

 telligible in the Kingsliorough drawing. In the original we can 

 make out, with some difficulty, to be sure, but still plainly, the head 

 of a deer (mazatl), with the eyelids painted yellow and with blue 

 antlers resting on a yellow base, quite in the manner in Avhich the day 

 sign Mazatl, is drawn and colored in column a. Above it are twelve 



Fig. 36. 



Symbols of place and personal names, 

 Mexican codices. 



