Chimalman (MH652v)

Chimalman (MH652v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Chimalman ("Like a Shield") is attested here as a woman's name. The glyph is a circular shield (chimalli) with fringe along the bottom half. The interior of the shield has four half-circles around the inside of the perimeter, and it has one small circle in the center. This forms a quincunx.

Added Analysis: 

The jury is still out, but if the name ends in -man, this would render a translation of "In the Manner of a Shield" or "Like a Shield." If the second part of her name is -ma, then some see a reference to the hand (maitl), and thus some translate her name as "Shield Bearer."

Chimalman was the name of a famous woman and deity bearer in the migration from Aztlan. She has also been described, as explained in our Online Nahuatl Dictionary, as a possible daughter of Quetzalcoatl and wife of Mixcoatl. In this case, from the Matrícula de Huexotzinco, the name is being used by what may be a macehualli woman. She does not have a title by her name, such as the imported term, doña.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

magdalena chimalma

Gloss Normalization: 

Magdalena Chimalman

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
Syntax: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Keywords: 

escudos, rodelas, guerra, nombres de mujeres, mujeres famosas

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

Chimalman, a legendary woman who led the migration from Aztlan, a god-carrier, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/chimalman
chimal(li), war shield, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/chimalli
-man(i), to be in the manner of, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/mani-1
ma(itl), hand or arm, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/maitl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Al Estilo de una Rodela, o Portadora de un Escudo

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 652v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=387&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: