tecuani (MH503r)

tecuani (MH503r)
Element from a Compound

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the element for what may be a ferocious wild animal ("literally a people-biter") shows the head of an animal in profile, looking toward the viewer's right. Its mouth is open, it is bearing its sharp teeth, and it has a large, protruding tongue. Its visible eye seems to be open.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Jaguar is often the contemporary translation for tecuani, and most glyphs show animals that look like jaguars. Ocelotl is another name for jaguar, and glyphs of the ocelotl are very similar to glyphs for the tecuani. But there could be other wildcats that are called tecuani.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

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

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Syntax: 
noun(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Animals, incl. Birds, Bugs, Insects, Reptiles, etc.
Teeth Protruding/Noticeable
Tongue Protruding/Noticeable
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
facing right
profile view
Keywords: 

wild cats, wildcats, ferocious wild animals, animales silvestres feroces, animales que comen personas

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

tecuani, ferocious wild animal, literally one that bites people, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tecuani
cua, to eat or to bite, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/cua

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

una bestia feroz y salvaje

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 503r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=83&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: 

Tecuanicpal (MH503r)

tecuani (Mdz34r)

tecuani (Mdz13v)

ocelotl (Mdz52r)

Ocelotl (MH500r)

Ocelotl (MH505v)

Tecuani (MH732r)