cihuatl (MH490v)

cihuatl (MH490v)
Element from a Compound

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the glyphic element for woman (cihuatl)] shows a woman's head in profile looking to the viewer's right. Her hair is tied up so that two points are visible at the top of her head. Her visible eye is open. This element has been carved from the compound glyph for the personal name or title Cihuacoatl.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

This hairstyle is called the neaxtlahualli. An especially beautiful and detailed example is found below, taken from the Florentine Codex.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzinco, Puebla

Syntax: 
noun(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Gender (female)
Hair (human or animal)
Cultural Content, Credit: 

José Aguayo-Beltrán and Stephanie Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
facing right
profile view
tied, bound, or bundled
Keywords: 

women, woman, mujer, mujeres, cabello

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

cihua(tl), woman, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/cihuatl
neaxtlahual(li), a proper Nahua woman's hairstyle, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/neaxtlahualli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

la mujer

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 490v, World Digital Library. https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=60&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).

See Also: 

Cihuacoatl (MH490v)

cihuapilli (FCbk1p33)