Mihuacan (MH496r)

Mihuacan (MH496r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the place name Mihuacan ("Where They Have Arrows") shows a vertical arrow (mitl), point down. The large feather has a dramatic black and white pattern. The arrow shaft is segmented like bamboo, decorated with feathers toward the top, and the point is jagged, with a succession of three barbs running upward from the point. The -hua (possession) and the -can (locative suffix) are not shown visually.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

This place would be a place where people have (and perhaps make) arrows. The arrow here is somewhat different from the earlier arrows in the Codex Mendoza, which are either simply pointed or have an arrowhead point. This one has the barbed point that came with the crossbow (a European introduction). See below.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

myoacan barrio

Gloss Normalization: 

Mihuacan barrio

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Semantic Categories: 
place name
Syntax: 
locative (not visual)
noun(s)
possessive pronoun
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Feathers
Names (places)
Socio-Political Units, Cities, Towns, Neighborhoods
Weapons, Shields, Armor
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
pointed (see also spiky)
spiky
vertical, upright
Other Cultural Influences: 
Spanish/European
Keywords: 

arrows, flechas, feathers, plumas

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

mi(tl), arrow, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/mitl
-hua-, possession, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/hua
-can, place where, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/can-0

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

El Lugar Donde Tienen Flechas

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 496r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=71&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).

See Also: 

mitl (Mdz23r)

mitl (Mdz33r)

Tlaxich (MH506v)

Tlaxich (MH517r)

Ayocuan (MH493r)

Necuametl (MH522r)