Chiyauhtzinco (MH740r)

Chiyauhtzinco (MH740r)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the place name Chiyauhtzinco (“At the Snake Swamp”), could also be a reference to a spin-off community of a place called Chiyauhco. The glyph shows a bird’s eye view of a swirling body of water with plants around the perimeter. The main reference is to a swamp (chiyahuitl), or perhaps a swamp snake. The swirling water is both curling and forming step frets (rectangular swirls). A serpent or snake is not visible. To the right of this water is a partial human body, put there to emphasize its buttocks (tzintli) and provide the phonetic indicator for the locative suffix, -tzinco.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

It is Alonso Zamora who shared the interpretation of swamp snake. The connection between swirling clouds, wind, or water, and snakes appears in many studies of Nahua religion and culture. Think of the Mixcoatl, the Cloud Serpent, for example. Furthermore, the rectangular swirl appears in many glyphs.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories:

phonetic dimensions

place name

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

compound of phonogram(s) & logogram(s)

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Anatomy, human body parts

Socio-Political Units, Cities, Towns, Neighborhoods

Water

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

spiraling, swirling, coiling, curling

spiral as rectangular

shading and parallel line hatching

Parts (compounds or simplex + notation):

Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation):

left to right

Other Cultural Influences:

Spanish/European

Keywords:

agua, remolinos, serpientes, nombres de lugares, pueblos, altepetl

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

chiyahui(tl), swamp or marsh or a swamp snake, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/chiyahuitl
tzin(tli), buttocks, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzintli
-tzinco (locative suffix) referring to a spin-off community, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzinco

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

En el Pantano de Serpientes

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 740r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=558&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:

dropped "n"

dropped "y"

Historical Contextualizing Image: