Cuauhtzitzimitl (MH497v)

Cuauhtzitzimitl (MH497v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Cuauhtzitzimitl (“Eagle-Supernatural,” attested here as a man’s name) shows an eagle's head in profile looking toward the reader's left. Its eye is open, and its feathers are spiky around the top and back of its head. The eagle's head has many, additional, thin lines coming off of it. These seem to be a semantic reference to the numerous tzitzimeh (supernaturals) associated with the name. See the Nahualix glyph below for comparison, where the stellar eye has small lines around it to speak to the nahualli, shape changing spirit, and perhaps tonalli, too.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

This is the name of a famous person, who is discussed by Tezozomoc (1598). See the Gran Diccionario Náhuatl. The tzitzimitl appear to have been celestial supernaturals. Luis Reyes García translated a manuscript from ca. 1582: "ya saben lo que decían nuestros abuelos, que cuando se atara la cuenta de los años, se iba a obscurecer del todo y bajarían los tzitzimime a comernos y entonces habría una transformación de la gente."

Gloss Image:

Gloss Diplomatic Transcription:

Juā
guauhtzitzinmitl

Gloss Normalization:

Juan Cuautzitzimitl

Gloss Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Semantic Categories:

personal name

Syntax:

noun(s)

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Animals, incl. Birds, Bugs, Insects, Reptiles, etc.

Feathers

Gender (male)

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Politics, Power, Governance

Religion (Indigenous)

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

circle(s) (small, often concentric)

facing left

pointed (see also spiky)

profile view

Parts (compounds or simplex + notation):

Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation):

outward (from inside out)

Keywords:

águilas, sobrenaturales, espíritu, fuerzas divinas, tonalli, vitalidad, tzitzimitl, feathers, plumas

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

Cuauhtzitzimitl, name of a famous ruler, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/cuauhtzitzimitl
tzitzimi(tl), supernaturals, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzitzimitl
cuauh(tli), eagle, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/cuauhtli
tonal(li), personal solar animating force, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tonalli

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 497v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=74&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: