ameyalli (FCbk11f225v)

ameyalli (FCbk11f225v)
Iconography

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This iconographic example, featuring a natural spring (ameyalli), is included in this digital collection for the purpose of making comparisons with related hieroglyphs. The term selected for this example comes from the text near the image in the Digital Florentine Codex. There is no gloss, per se. This example shows a spring with two whirlpools, swirling around and flowing off to the right, branching into two streams with a Y-shape and full of wavy lines that suggest current and movement. This spring has at least five fish. Another ameyalli (on folio 226 recto) simply has three whirlpools, no streams, and no fish. It is somewhat more glyph-like.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

Despite some lingering traits, such as the currents, a significant change in the iconography of water–and for an ameyalli in this case–is the absence of droplets or beads and shells splashing off the streams. Furthermore, the landscape setting shows European artistic influence.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss or Text Image:

Gloss/Text Diplomatic Transcription:

ameialli

Gloss/Text Normalization:

ameyalli

Gloss/Text Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Florentine/Florentinus, Codex (FC)

Date of Manuscript:

1577

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Mexico City

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

later evolution

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

bird's eye view

shading and parallel line hatching

spiraling, swirling, coiling, curling

three-dimensionality

Y-shapes

Other Cultural Influences:

Spanish/European

Keywords:

agua, manantial, movimiento, corriente, pez, peces, ramificándose in forma de Y, ramas, vista de pájaro

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

ameyal(li), a natural spring, a water source, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/ameyalli
a(tl), water, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/atl
meyal(li), something that comes gushing forth, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/meyalli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

el manantial

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Available at Digital Florentine Codex/Códice Florentino Digital, edited by Kim N. Richter and Alicia Maria Houtrouw, "Book 11: Earthly Things", fol. 225v, Getty Research Institute, 2023. https://florentinecodex.getty.edu/en/book/11/folio/225v/images/0 Accessed 16 November 2025.

Image Source, Rights:

Images of the digitized Florentine Codex are made available under the following Creative Commons license: CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International). For print-publication quality photos, please contact the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana ([email protected]). The Library of Congress has also published this manuscript, using the images of the World Digital Library copy. “The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse.”

Historical Contextualizing Image: