Tonanixpan (TK207v)

This painted compound Nahuatl hieroglyph represents the place name Tonanixpan (“Before Our Mother” or “In the Presence of Our Mother”). The compound consists of three elements that are read from left to right. It starts with the usual sign for a woman (cihuatl), but here she represents a mother (nantli). This is the primary semantic contribution to the place name. She is shown in profile, facing toward the viewer’s right, sitting on her legs in a classic fashion. Her hair is also done in the neaxtlahualli style, with the long hair twisted up into two points at the top of the head. This is the typical style for adult women. The tie that wraps Next comes an eye (ixtli), what some call the starry eye because this same sign can serve in a sky setting as a star. But, here, the eye is providing the phonetic syllable -ix-, the first part of ixpan, meaning before or in the presence of. The second phonetic syllable for ixpan derives here from the little red swallowtail flag (pamitl), which is flying toward the viewer’s right.