Nenca (MH632v)

Nenca (MH632v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Nenca is attested here as a woman's name. Nenca ("Unemployed," or "Inactive"), refers to being idle or lazy. It shows a doll or an ixiptlatl, an image of a divine force, which were both apparently called (nenetl), along with women's genitals (according to Molina, but unattested in alphabetic Nahuatl manuscripts). This one has its arms across its abdomen and it wears a skirt. The glyph provides the phonetic start (Nen-) to the name. The -ca is not shown visually.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Diagnostic traits for such anthropomorphic "nen" figures include two rectangular protrusions at the top of the head. They are also typically shown in a frontal view.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

franca
nēca

Gloss Normalization: 

Francisca Nenca

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

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

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
phonetic dimensions
Syntax: 
adjective
ne or nen syllable
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as logogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Gender (female)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Toys
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
frontal view
Keywords: 

widows, viudas, nombres de mujeres, muñecas, ixiptla, deidades, religión, imágenes

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

nenca, to be idle, without profit, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/nenca

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Desempleada, o Inactiva

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 632r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=347st=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).

Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Nenca (MH505r)

Nenca (MH608r)

Nenquizqui (MH492v)

Nentequitl (MH543r)

Nentequitl (MH884r)