Tetzahuatl (MH840r)

Tetzahuatl (MH840r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Tetzahuatl (“Swirling River” or a “Marvel”) is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows a section of a straight river at an angle, leaning toward the viewer’s right. The river has wavy lines that suggest current, movement. In the middle of this river is a whirlpool or swirl.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

This river is reminiscent of the one painted in the Florentine Codex that is labeled tetzahuatl, too. Of note is the similar word (only lacking the -atl, water, at the end), tetzahuitl, which refers to a supernatural, an omen, or augury. See the glyph for the personal name Tetzauh below.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

andres tetzavatl

Gloss Normalization: 

Andrés Tetzahuatl

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
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as logogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Gender (male)
Movement
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Religion (Indigenous)
Water
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
bird's eye view
spiraling, swirling, coiling, curling
Keywords: 

presagios, agua, ríos, remolinos, maravillas, nombres de hombres

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

tetzahua(tl), a swirling river or a marvel, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tetzahuatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Remolino, o Maravilla

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 840r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=754&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).

Orthography: 
"v" for u, uh, or hu
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Tetzauh (MH592r)