mandamiento (CST51)

mandamiento (CST51)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This painting of the simplex glyph for the term mandamiento (an order or a ruling obtained in Mexico City by Diego López) shows two vertical sticks holding up a trapezoid shaped piece of what appears to be alphabetical writing (illegible). The sign has two horizontal rows of “lettering,” each one looking like a series of the letter “n.” Two short black horizontal lines cut across the brown wooden sticks that hold up the document, about halfway between the document and the top of the sticks. It is not clear what these represent. The companion text explains that this ruling came at a cost of 12 pesos in silver.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

For more on the Codex Sierra, see Kevin Terraciano’s study (2021), especially, pp. 130 and 162 for the Nahuatl transcription and English translation of the companion text.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Source Manuscript: 
Date of Manuscript: 

1550–1564

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Santa Catalina Texupan, Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca

Syntax: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Shapes and Perspectives: 
Other Cultural Influences: 
Keywords: 

mandamientos, autos, escrituras, alfabeto, papel, Ciudad de México

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

mandamiento

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Códice Sierra-Texupan, plate 51, page dated 1562. 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: