Tzicuil (MH536r)

Tzicuil (MH536r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Tzicuil ("Thin Bodied,” or Cicuil, "Ribs," attested here as a man’s name) shows a small naked body in profile, looking toward the viewer's right. His visible eye is open, his mouth is open, and his arms are reaching forward. He has no hair on his head, and he is not clothed. His ribs are pronounced. His expression is somewhat forlorn.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Terms for ribs and becoming thin can start with ci- or tzi- apparently. Regardless of the spelling, a semantic and homophonic relationship seems clear. It is also worth noting that there was a revered Tzicuiltzin that perhaps this person was named after. She was a daughter (and the first child) of Quinatzin. She was also the mother of don Francisco Carlos Xoconochtzin. (See: History and Mythology of the Aztecs: The Codex Chimalpopoca, 1998, 50.) Her existence is the reason for the choice of Tzicuil here over Cicuil.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

diego. zicuil

Gloss Normalization: 

Diego Tzicuil

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

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

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
Syntax: 
cuil (tracking)
noun(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Anatomy, human body parts
Emotions
Gender (male)
Health, Medicine
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Nudity
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

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

skinny, flaco, bones, huesos, ribs, costillas, nude, nudity, desnudez, nombres de hombres

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

tzicuilihui, to become thin, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tzicuilihui
cicuil(li), ribs, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/cicuilli
omicicuil(li), ribs, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/omicicuilli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Costillas

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 536r, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=151&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: 
"z" for tz
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Huilan (MH509r)

Motzetzelo (MH506v)

Tecuanitzin (MH532r)

Tzicuil (MH642v)

Tzicuil (MH555r)