mandamiento (CST27)

mandamiento (CST27)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This painting of the simplex glyph for the term mandamiento (given in the text in the plural) refers to an order or ruling coming from the Spanish viceregal or royal authorities. This one is directed at alcaldes and regidores, two offices in the Indigenous municipal council (called a cabildo in Spanish, and sometimes referred to as an audiencia here in Santa Catalina Texupan). What is especially interesting about this glyph for a mandamiento is the way the writing is more than just hash marks; it is legible alphabetic writing.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

The Spanish colonizers introduced and instructed Nahua notaries in alphabetic writing–even while hieroglyphic writing would continue through most of the sixteenth century. See some other examples below.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Source Manuscript:

Sierra/Texupan, Codex (CST)

Date of Manuscript:

1550–1564

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Santa Catalina Texupan, Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

simplex or element as logogram

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Education, Knowledge, Wisdom

Legal Matters, Documents

Paper

Politics, Power, Governance

Writing, Literacy

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Shapes and Perspectives:

rectangular

frontal view

Other Cultural Influences:

Mixtec

Spanish/European

Keywords:

escribir, escritura, documentos, manuscritos alfabéticos, cabildos, gobierno, papeles, documentos

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

mandamiento, an order or a ruling, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/mandamiento

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

mandamiento

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Códice Sierra-Texupan, plate 27, page dated 1559. Origin: Santa Catalina Texupan, Mixteca Alta, State of Oaxaca. Kevin Terraciano has published an outstanding study of this manuscript (Codex Sierra, 2021), and in his book he refers to alphabetic and “pictorial” writing, not hieroglyphic writing. We are still counting some of the imagery from this source as hieroglyphic writing, but we are also including examples of “iconography” where the images verge on European style illustrations or scenes showing activities. We have this iconography category so that such images can be fruitfully compared with hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphic writing was evolving as a result of the influence of European illustrations, and even alphabetic writing impacted it.
https://bidilaf.buap.mx/objeto.xql?id=48281&busqueda=Texupan&action=search

Image Source, Rights:

The Biblioteca Digital Lafragua of the Biblioteca Histórica José María Lafragua in Puebla, Mexico, publishes this Códice Sierra-Texupan, 1550–1564 (62pp., 30.7 x 21.8 cm.), referring to it as being in the “Public Domain.” This image is published here under a Creative Commons license, asking that you cite the Biblioteca Digital Lafragua and this Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs.

Historical Contextualizing Image: