Tzauhtica (MH492r)

Tzauhtica (MH492r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the name Tzauhtica (attested her as a woman's name) shows an upright drop spindle for hand spinning with thread coming off the top and leaning toward the viewer's left. A bit of fluff appears at the end of the thread or yarn. The spindle has a point at each end, with the upper one being longer than the one at the base. Between the two points is a three-part (possibly wooden) whorl, round in the middle and flat on one end at the top and bottom.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

The name Tzahuatica builds on a verb, "to spin," in the progressive form, "Spinning." Sweeping, cooking, and weaving were gendered activities expected of Nahua women as shown in the Codex Mendoza. This is shown in an online teaching manual shows. When a girl baby was born, a broom and a drop spindle were part of her layette (see this educational piece about another scene in the Codex Mendoza. This type of spindle for hand spinning was called the malacatl (see below). It was typical to show the work in progress, with the raw material at the end of the yarn or thread (often cotton).

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Gloss Diplomatic Transcription:

maria tzauhtica

Gloss Normalization:

María Tzauhtica

Gloss Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Syntax:

verb

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Gender (female)

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Textiles, Clothing, Hats, Regalia

Cultural Content, Credit:

Xitlali Torres and Stephanie Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

pointed (see also spiky)

vertical, upright

Keywords:

spinning, hilando

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

tzahua, to spin, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzahua
tzauhqui, weaver, spinner, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzauhqui.

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

Está Hilando

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 492r, World Digital Library,
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=63&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).

Historical Contextualizing Image: