Necihuatl (MH632v)

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Necihuatl (perhaps "Married Woman"), or possibly Nencihuatl ("Useless Woman"), is attested here as a woman's name. The compound includes the sign of nenetl (deity image, female doll, or woman's genitals), which can provide the phonetic syllable Ne- or Nen-. Here, this sign is a frontal view of a face and head. On the top of the head are two squared-off protrusions that are reminiscent of the ceramic dolls of women from an earlier time and/or some deities or supernaturals have them. The other element in the compound is the profile of a woman's head looking toward the viewer's right. Her hairstyle, the neaxtlahualli, is the diagnostic indicator that this is a woman. This involves twisted locks that are tied in such a way as to have the ends stand up on each side of the forehead.