candelas (CST10)

candelas (CST10)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This painting of the simplex glyph for the term candelas (candles) shows four upright white candles. They are brown at the bottom and tan at the top. Their rounded wicks are visible above the wax part of the candles.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Candles were introduced by European clergy, and these were meant for the local Catholic church. For more on the Codex Sierra, see Kevin Terraciano’s study (2021).

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

candelas

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Sierra/Texupan, Codex (CST)
Date of Manuscript: 

1550–1564

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Santa Catalina Texupan, Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca

Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as logogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Fire, Tobacco, Incense, Smoke
Religion (Indigenous Christianity)
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
brown
tan
white/neutral
Shapes and Perspectives: 
frontal view
vertical, upright
Other Cultural Influences: 
Mixtec
Spanish/European
Keywords: 

candelas, velas, fuego de cera

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 

candela, candle (a loan from Spanish that entered Nahuatl), https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/candela

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

velas

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Códice Sierra-Texupan, plate 10, page dated 1553. Origin: Santa Catalina Texupan, Mixteca Alta, State of Oaxaca. Kevin Terraciano has published an outstanding study of this manuscript (Codex Sierra, 2021), and in his book he refers to alphabetic and “pictorial” writing, not hieroglyphic writing. We are still counting some of the imagery from this source as hieroglyphic writing, but we are also including examples of “iconography” where the images verge on European style illustrations or scenes showing activities. We have this iconography category so that such images can be fruitfully compared with hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphic writing was evolving as a result of the influence of European illustrations, and even alphabetic writing impacted it.
https://bidilaf.buap.mx/objeto.xql?id=48281&busqueda=Texupan&action=sear...

Image Source, Rights: 

The Biblioteca Digital Lafragua of the Biblioteca Histórica José María Lafragua in Puebla, Mexico, publishes this Códice Sierra-Texupan, 1550–1564 (62pp., 30.7 x 21.8 cm.), referring to it as being in the “Public Domain.” This image is published here under a Creative Commons license, asking that you cite the Biblioteca Digital Lafragua and this Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs.

Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

candelas (CST36)