a place with ravines (see Molina), typically with water at the bottom
Alonso de Molina:
atlauhtla. lugar barrancoso. Alonso de Molina, Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana, 1571, part 2, Nahuatl to Spanish, f. 8v. col. 1. Thanks to Joe Campbell for providing the transcription.