imati (Mdz33r)
This simplex glyph for the place name Calimayan (or Calli Imayan) here doubles for the verb imati, to be prudent or orderly. In this case the reference is to two buildings in a row, shown in proflie, facing the same direction (to the viewer's right). These are typical houses (calli), white, rectangular, and with the terracotta t-shaped doorways. The locative suffix -yan, which means that something is done customarily, is not shown visually.
Stephanie Wood
What is important here is to note that the houses face the same direction, and they appear to be in a row. See Daniel Brinton's translation of imati in the entry for the verb in our online Nahuatl Dictionary. Berdan and Anawalt (The Codex Mendoza, 1992, v. 1, p. 175) also support this reading.
It is tempting to see the "Imayan" as a possessed noun, such as maítl (hand, arm; perhaps building extensions), plus a locative. But, the locative suffix -yan is one that attaches to verbs and indicates customary action. (See Karttunen's discussion of Calli Imayan, in the entry to that place name.)
Stephanie Wood
caliymayan. puo
Cal Imayan, pueblo
Stephanie Wood
c. 1541, but by 1553 at the latest
Xitlali Torres
order, arrangements, houses, buildings, architecture, casas, edificios, arquitectura, orden, arreglos
imati, to be prudent, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/imati
Codex Mendoza, folio 33 recto, https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/2fea788e-2aa2-4f08-b6d9-648c00..., image 76 of 188.
Original manuscript is held by the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1; used here with the UK Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0)
