Aztec place-names

Before trying to understand Aztec hieroglyphic writing the student should gain some ideas as to how Mexican words are constructed and what changes word elements suffer in being compounded. No words are more interesting or suggestive in this direction than geographical names. This is particularly true because the hieroglyphic material most conveniently accessible to the student chances to be a list of place-names. The method of study we borrow from de la Rosa’s little work Explicacion de algunos de los Nombres de la Lengua Mexicana. His mode of analysis and presentation is direct and simple. De la Rosa’s arrangement has been followed in detail. The name is first presented in full; the meaning is then given in bracketed print; the elements are then presented, parts which are dropped in the compound being italicized; the meaning of each element is given in parenthesis; suggestions or explanation of special points are added in some cases. The list of Rules of Composition is taken from Dr. Antonio Peñafiel. Robelo is generally followed in questions of meaning.

The student is expected to learn the rules, to learn the meanings of the place-names, and to study the analyses sufficiently to be able to explain the construction of any name given in the list. After this material has been mastered additional exercises in sight-reading and analysis of new place-names should be undertaken.