Maceuh (MH875v)

Maceuh (MH875v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Maceuh (perhaps "Something Obtained through Merit") is attested here as a man's name. The glyph shows the head of a man who wears a small headdress with feathers. Perhaps the feathers call to mind the verb "to dance" (macehua), which is close to the man's name. But maceuhtli (closer to his name) refers to something obtained through merit. Perhaps this person had a difficult birth and his mother was valiant. If so, then the headdress that suggests the verb "to dance" is just a phonetic indicator.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Another glyph for the same name, Maceuh, has a feather added to the tribute payer’s head. The differences between the two glyphs are not significant, perhaps still leaving the reading of maceuhtli, something obtained through merit as the final sense, with the suggestion of dance (if that is not off the mark), just a phonetic complement. To be able to wear a small feathered headdress could also be a sign of merit.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

franco. maceuh

Gloss Normalization: 

Francisco Maceuh

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: 
personal name
phonetic possibilities
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Feathers
Gender (male)
Music, Song, Dance
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
facing right
profile view
Keywords: 

merecer, plumas, tocados, bailar, bailador, bailarín, danzante, nombres de hombres

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 

maceuh(tli), something obtained through merit, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/maceuhtli
macehua, to dance, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/macehua

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Algo Recibido Por Mérito

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 875v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=823&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: 
See Also: 

Maceuh (MH625v)