Tomiyauh (MH619r)

Tomiyauh (MH619r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the of the simplex glyph for the personal name Tomiyauh ("Our Maize Tassel,") doubles as the element miyauhtli (see link below). This maize tassel or flower leans toward the viewer's right and consists of at least eight segments. The possessive pronoun, To-, is not expressed visually. This was the name of a sacred force, "Our Maize Tassel Lord," which was related to the Tlaloque, divine forces of rain. Tomiyauh as also the name of Xolotl's wife.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Note how the design of this glyph differs from other glyphs of the same name (below). As of March 2026, this digital collection has three examples of the name Tomiyauh, which is a considerable number, remembering that women's names are a small minority of the names of tribute payers in the Matrícula de Huexotzinco. We have much less information about the nature and range of names given to girls at birth than we do for boys, especially from these kinds of demographic sources that are so male-centric.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss or Text Image: 
Gloss/Text Diplomatic Transcription: 

anā tomiauh

Gloss/Text Normalization: 

Ana Tomiyauh

Gloss/Text 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)
possessive pronoun (no-, to-, i-, etc.)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as logogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Corn, Maize
Flowers
Gender (female)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Plants, Flora
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
diagonal or angled
frontal view
leaf, marquise, pointed oval
Keywords: 

maize flowers, maíz, flores, posessión

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

Tomiyauhtecuhtli, a sacred force, "Our Maize Tassel Lord,” https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tomiyauhtecuhtli
to-, our (possessive pronoun), https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/node/175783
miyahua(tl), maize tassel-flower, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/miyahuatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Nuestra Flor de Maíz

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 619r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=320st=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: 
dropped "y"
intrusive overbar
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Tomiyauh (MH554v)

miyahuatl (MH619r)

Tomiyauh (MH885v)