Chiconxochitl (MH755v)

Chiconxochitl (MH755v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Chiconxochitl (“Seven-Flower” or “7-Flower) is attested here as a woman’s name. It shows a frontal view of what is perhaps a quincunx shape, with two concentric circles and six, evenly-spaced radiating lines between them, like spokes on a wheel. Coming off the outside of the larger circles are groups of short lines at what could be called the four cardinal points. This is a calendrical name, drawn from the religious divinatory calendar of 260 days, called the tonalpohualli. This glyph is unusual in that the number is not obviously visible, and the “flower” has been altered into what seems to be something else.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

From early into the Spanish-colonial era, the clergy were trying to discourage the use of the pre-contact calendar in naming practices, but such practices lived on, even if somewhat altered. Ink has been smeared over this glyph in an apparent attempt to exclude it from the list. A footprint nearby may suggest that the woman had left the settlement.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Syntax: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Keywords: 

quincunces, siete, números, flores, tonalpohualli, calendarios, nombres de días, nombres de mujeres

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 
Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Siete-Flor o 7-Flor

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 755v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=589&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).

Orthography: 
Historical Contextualizing Image: