Coanen (MH600r)

A famous woman of Chalco in the fifteenth century was called Coanentzin (with the reverential suffix, as she was a member of the nobility). Deciding how one should translate her name is something of a challenge. Alonso de Molina gives three very different definitions for nenetl ("idol," doll, and woman's genitals). Of the three possibilities, this visual appears to fit "doll" the best. Aside from this one, two other nenetl examples that have been identified so far (June 2023) seem to suggest girl dolls (thin, with skirts). But often, in the Matrícula de Huexotzinco (this same manuscript), the nenetl can be represented as a deity image (or "idol" in Molina's terms). In most of these, it is the phonetic prefix Nen- that is the target reading, and in these cases the phonetic Nen- refers to negative behaviors, nothing about divine forces. Finally, there is one more example of a woman representing the suffix -nene. In that attestation, the addition of the chalchihuitl next to her hips may serve as a subtle semantic indicator that genitals are meant. (Gordon Whittaker suggested this in a personal communication, April 2023.)