Almoyahuacapan (MH602v)

Almoyahuacapan (MH602v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the place name Almoyahuacapan (“Where the Water is Disturbed”) shows a swirl of water with five short streams spinning off of it. The black lines of current stress the motion of the water. The droplets (or jade beads) at the tips of the streams and the turbinate shells are emblematic of water streams. The turbinate shells add further to the emphasis on swirling and movement. The gloss provides the place name and adds, "first calpolli."

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

The use of the term calpolli (neighborhood, temple district, big house, migrant group, etc.) is worth watching. Many place names in the manuscript are glossed "barrio" (the Spanish approximate equivalent). The potential significance of the swirling water is brought home by the name glyph for Tetzauh (omen), which seems to suggest that whirlpools (and perhaps whirlwinds, and the like) create a vortex that connects life on earth with a spiritual realm.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Gloss Diplomatic Transcription:

almoyauacapā
yc cēcalpoli

Gloss Normalization:

Almoyahuacapan, ic cen calpolli

Gloss Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Semantic Categories:

place name

Syntax:

noun(s)

verb

visible movement

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Cultural Content, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

circle(s) (small, often concentric)

spiraling, swirling, coiling, curling

Parts (of compounds or simplex + notation):

Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation):

inherent/internal/merged

Keywords:

water, agua, swirling, remolinos, caracolillos, círculos, cuentas

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

moyahua, to disturb clear water, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/moyahua
a(tl), water, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/atl
al, see: atl, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/al
calpol(li), neighborhood, migrant group, temple district, big house, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/calpolli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

Lugar Donde el Agua Está Turbada

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 602v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=286&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: