Icnoyaotl (MH703v)

Icnoyaotl (MH703v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Yaotl ("The Humble Combatant"), which is attested here as a man's name, consists of a frontal view of a war (yaoyotl) shield that doubles as a turtle's back. In a bird's eye view of the turtle (ayotl), the head, tail, and legs stick out from underneath the shield, with the head pointed upward. The pattern on the shield is a honeycomb pattern. A line connects this shield to the head of the tribute payer himself, who is used as a canvas for the other part of the name (Icno-). The tlacuilo has added wrinkles and/or tears to the cheek of the tribute payer, which suggest he is sad, humble, and possibly a widower.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

The shape of the shield is similar to a European crest. Indigenous shields were historically round with feathers coming off the bottom. See the work of Lisardo Pérez Lugones for a discussion of the turtle-shield. Yaotl (combatant) and ayotl (turtle) are near homophones, and so the phonetic indicator (ayotl) reinforces the reading of yaotl. Perhaps it also tones down or disguises for the clergy the continuing use of a war-like name among so many young Nahua men.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Gloss Diplomatic Transcription:

pedro ycnoyaotl

Gloss Normalization:

pedro Icnoyaotl

Gloss Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories:

homophony, rebus

personal name

phonetic dimensions

Syntax:

line connecting elements

noun(s)

Writing Features:

compound of phonogram(s) & logogram(s)

Cultural Content & Iconography:

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

Emotions

Gender (male)

Names (personal and/or theonym)

War or Conflict

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

Parts (compounds or simplex + notation):

Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation):

left to right

Keywords:

emoción, tristeza, vejez, humilde, combatientes, guerra, guerreros, nombres de hombres

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

icno-, humble, in a sad state, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/icno
yao(tl), enemy, combatant, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/yaotl
yaoyo(tl), war, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/yaoyotl
ayo(tl), turtle or tortoise, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/ayotl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

El Combatiente Humilde

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 703v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=485&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).

Orthography:

"y" for i

Historical Contextualizing Image: