SELBR] MEXICAN PICTURE WRITINC4S FRAGMENT VIII 205 



It is evidently the same hieroii:lypli as that over the fourth field in 

 the fourth row, which, in addition to the grass and water, has also a 

 set of teeth (tlan-tli, " tooth ") and a small flag (pan-tli). 



The seventh hieroglyph occurs in all four rows. It is over the 

 sixth field in the first, the fifth field in the second, the seventh field in 

 the third, and the sixth field in the fourth row. It consists of a 

 green bush and a stream of water. 



The eighth hieroglyph likewise occurs in all of the four rows: in 

 the seventh field of the first, the sixth field of the second, the eighth 

 of the third, and the fifth field of the fourth row. It is the picture 

 of a bird. 



Another separate domain may possibly be designated over the sec- 

 ond field of the row on the unfinished right side. A small flag is 

 recognizable. AVhatever else may have been there is now obliterated. 

 AVe see, then, that the hieroglyphs over the fields, which, it seems tol- 

 erably certain, represent the names of the domains, exhibit a consid- 

 erable A'ariety. We have been able to count eight or nine of them. 

 Of the hierogl3q3hs on the surface of the fields, only three kinds can 

 be distinguished, which, as will appear immediately, must have been 

 intended to express various qmilities of soil. 



The first presents the hieroglyph te-tl, '' stone ", and a series of fine 

 dots proceeding from it, undoubtedly indicating sand (xalli). (See 

 /i, figure 45, xalpan milli, that is, the arable field, xalpan, ''in the 

 sand "; Goupil-Boban atlas, page 34.) This hieroglyph, then, would 

 denote stony, sandy soil, Avhich the Mexicans called tetlalli xallalli. 



The second hieroglyph which A^'e see, for instance, in the second 

 field of the third row, shows the picture of a maize plant (toctli). 

 with the tassel (painted yellow) at the top and the ear (painted red) 

 having long drooping bunches of silk lower down at the left of the 

 stalk. Beside it, on the right, is a stream of water (a-tl) and below it 

 a row of teeth (tlan-tli). These three elements together give the 

 word at<x;tlan, that is, "rich in a-toctli (fertile vegetable mold)." 

 Conii)are Sahagun, volume 2, chapter 12, section 3 : A la tierra fertil 

 para sembrar, y donde se hace mucho lo que se siembra en ella, llaman 

 a-toctli, (^ue quiere decir, tierra que el agua ha traido: es blanca, 

 suelta, hueca y suave; es tierra donde se hace niucho maiz 6 trigo 

 (" earth fertile to sow seed in, and where that which is sowed increases 

 greatly, they call a-toctli, which is to say, earth which the water has 

 brought: it is light, loose, rich, and smooth; it is earth which pro- 

 duces nnich corn or wheat "). It is, however, possil)le that the row of 

 teeth here is not meant to express the whole syllable " tlan ", but only 

 " tla ", in wiiich case it might stand for tlalli, " earth ", so that we 

 should have atoc-tlalli. This seems to me prol)able on account of 

 what follows. 



