Ahua (MH488r)

Ahua (MH488r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Ahua (“Long Slender Thorn,” attested here as a man’s name) shows what appears to be a branch of a cactus plant, perhaps a nopalli. Given the gloss for ahuatl, thorn, the focus of the glyph must be on the thorns that cover this cactus branch.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Frances Karttunen gives ahhuatl, distinguishing this term from that for oak tree. Thorns were often significant in Nahua culture for bloodletting, a form of self-sacrifice.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

angustin ava

Gloss Normalization: 

Agustín Ahua

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Agriculture, Gardens, Stockraising
Plants, Flora
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Xitlali Torres

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
spiny
Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 

ahuatl, a long slender thorn, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/ahuatl

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 488r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=45&st=image

Image Source, Rights: 

This manuscript is hosted by the Library of Congress and the World Digital Library; used here with the Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SAq 3.0).

Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Ahuatl (MH777v)