Xochmitl (MH663r)

Xochmitl (MH663r)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Xochmitl (“Flowery Arrow,” attested here as a man’s name) shows a frontal view of a flower (xochitl) with five visible petals and an arrow (mitl) piercing it. The flower has a short stem. The arrow goes straight into the flower from above, pointing downward. The top of the arrow has fletching.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

This special, flowery arrow was prepared as part of a feast associated with Macuilxochitl/Xochipilli. The arrow would rest upon five tamales. Also a part of the feast were "corn cakes" made into "shields, arrows, swords, and dolls," according to Book 1 of the Florentine Codex (Anderson and Dibble translation). See our Online Nahuatl Dictionary.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
Syntax: 
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Keywords: 

flores, flechas, flowers, arrows

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 
Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Flecha Florida

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 663r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=406&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: