Huehuetzintli (MH508r)

Huehuetzintli (MH508r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of a simplex glyph for the noun "drum" (huehuetl)] coincides with the glyph for the personal name Huehuetzintli, which has the added reverential (or possibly a diminutive) suffix. The diminutive may make the most sense given that this is a fairly small drum in comparison with the size of the hand above it. The hand is shown in profile, facing toward the viewer's right. But the drum is shown in a frontal view. This upright, standing drum has intricately carved, cut-out legs with a step design. A horizontal line near the top of the drum may hint at the edge of the skin covering.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

This drum was one of the key percussive instruments in the Nahua repertoire for singing and dancing. It was also a personal name in various regions and was a name held by a famous person in early Tollan. See our Online Nahuatl Dictionary for examples of its use in early Nahuatl source.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

Juā
huehuetzinli

Gloss Normalization: 

Juan Huehuetzintli

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Semantic Categories: 
Syntax: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Keywords: 

drums, tambores, música, instrumentos de percusión

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 
Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

El Pequeño Tambor Vertical

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 508r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=95&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: