Xiuhhuacan (Mdz13r)

Xiuhhuacan (Mdz13r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This simplex glyph for turquoise (xihuitl) stands for the place name Xiuhhuacan. The visual source for the "hua" (possession) syllable is unclear. The locative suffix (-can) is not shown visually. The sign is basically round with an inner circle that has two small compartments painted red, and around the outer circle are four evenly-place smaller circles. All but the two red compartments are painted turquoise.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

The shape suggests a gleaming turquoise stone, but it could also share a reading of "year." Sometimes, the turquoise part of this glyph could be filled with small pieces of turquoise mosaic, such as has been published from a cache found at the Templo Mayor. Small turquoise pieces were easier to come by, and so they were often assembled in mosaic fashion. [See: J. Alden Mason, "Turquoise Mosaics from Northern Mexico," Museum Journal (Penn Museum), 20:2 (1929).]

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

xiuhhuacan, puo

Gloss Normalization: 

Xiuhhuacan, pueblo

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Date of Manuscript: 

c. 1541, or by 1553 at the latest

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Mexico City

Semantic Categories: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Keywords: 

precious stones, years, calendar, calendars, calendrics, xiuhpohualli, año, turquesa, xihuitl

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

Codex Mendoza, folio 13 recto, https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/2fea788e-2aa2-4f08-b6d9-648c00..., image 36 of 188.

Image Source, Rights: 

The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, hold the original manuscript, the MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1. This image is published here under the UK Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0).