matlalin - blue, green, blue-green?

[Molly Bassett]

Hi, all.

I'm working on a piece dealing with the significance of colors in  
precontact Central Mexican religious contexts, and I have a question  
about the meaning of ma:tla:lin.

Frances Karttunen follows Molina in defining matlalin as “the color  
dark green”:  “This is attested in Z in matlalzahuatl (literally  
‘green pox’) and possibly in Matlalpan, although the sense of the  
latter would be obcure from this gloss, which appears to have  
something to do with lowness of sature.  Conceivably it is derived  
instead from tlalpan ‘on the ground'" (139).

But Dibble & Anderson translate matlalin as “blue” in the Florentine,  
which notes that "its name comes from nowhere.  It is the blossom of  
an herb, a blossom.  This matlalin is blue and a little herb-green.   
It is very sound, firm, good, of good appearance, fresh green.  It is  
fresh green, very resh green. . . . / acan quizqui in itoca, xihuitl  
ixochyo, xochitl: inin matlali texotic, ihuan achi quiltic, cenca  
ixtlapalhui, ixchicactic, cualli, cualnezqui, celic, celic,  
celpatic. . . ." (11: 240).

The Badianus Ms. cites matlalxochitl (presumably the xochitl referred  
to in the Florentine?) as an element in a treatment for "heat" in the  
eyes (pl. 14, p. 218).  The footnote for matlalxochitl glosses the  
term as "blue flower" identifies the plant as "the dayflower,  
Commelina, of which a number of species are found on the Mexican  
plateau.  A native variant Nahuatl name for it is matlaliztic.   
Hernández refers to several varieties of matlalxochitl (pp. 383-4),  
but none of the illustrations resembles Commelina; thus the name must  
have been applied to several flowers of blue color" (219-20).

So, two of these three sources relate matlalin to blue; I haven't  
followed up on Hernández yet.  Are there other places I should look  
for more information on matlalin as blue or green?  I realize that  
blue-green functioned as a range or spectrum in precontact  
Mesoamerica, but the discrepancy among these sources has piqued my  
curiosity.

Thanks,
Molly

----------------------------------------------------------
Molly H. Bassett
Assistant Professor, Mesoamerican Religions and Indigenous Traditions
Department of Religious Studies
Georgia State University
1137 34 Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30302

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