miyahuatl (Mdz52r)

miyahuatl (Mdz52r)
Element from a Compound

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This element of the maize plant bloom (miyahuatl) has been carved from the compound place name Miyahuaapan. It shows two bifurcating yellow sprigs, one bending right and one bending left. Small circles indicate the tiny flowers that are typically part of the tassel.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

The tassel is more likely to bend multiple directions than the corn silk at the top of the ear of corn/maize, which often forms a clump and tends to bend one direction.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Mendoza/Mendocino, Codex (Mdz)

Date of Manuscript:

by 1553 at the latest

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Mexico City

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

simplex or element as logogram

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Corn, Maize

Flowers

Plants, Flora

Cultural Content, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Colors:

yellow or golden

Shapes and Perspectives:

bifurcated

circle(s) (small, often concentric)

curving, curvy, curved

Keywords:

maize tassel, corn, flowers, blossoms, burlas, flores, maíz

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

miyahua(tl), maize plant spike and flower, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/miyahuatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

la flor del maíz

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Codex Mendoza, folio 52 recto, https://codicemendoza.inah.gob.mx/inicio.php?lang=english

Image Source, Rights:

The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, hold the original manuscript, the MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1. This image is published here under the UK Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0).