Cuauhtzon (MH519r)

Cuauhtzon (MH519r)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This compound glyph stands for the personal name Cuauhtzon, which is borne here by a man who has been baptized Juan. A yellow tree (cuahuitl) trunk emerges from a circle with small hairs, probably in the place of what would be a lock of human hairs (tzontli) that were typically bound and worn at the back of the neck or on the top of the head of warriors and priests. Alternately, the trunk is taking the place of a human head [also called a tzontli).

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

The construction of this glyph may suggest a translation of "Wooden Head." The other Cuauhtzon from this same folio (see below) has a completely different construction and might result in a translation of "Eagle Head." There are various possible translations. Why a Nahua man would have a name relating to tree or wood may have something to do with the significance of the metaphor, in tetl in cuahuitl (the stone, the wood), which the friars (such as Sahagún, Book 6) described as having an association with knowing secret things.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Gloss Diplomatic Transcription:

Ju^o guauhtzō

Gloss Normalization:

Juan Cuauhtzon

Gloss Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzinco, Puebla

Semantic Categories:

personal name

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Gender (male)

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Plants, Flora

Wood, wooden things

Cultural Content, Credit:

José Aguayo-Barragán

Colors:

black

yellow or golden

Shapes and Perspectives:

circle, circular or rounded

frontal view

Parts (compounds or simplex + notation):

Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation):

downward

Keywords:

madera, leña, cabeza, cabello

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

cuahui(tl), wood or tree, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/cuahuitl
tzon(tli), a lock of hair or the head, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzontli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

Cabeza de Madera (?)

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 519r, World Digital Library. https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=117&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: