Yaocihuatl (MH632v)

Yaocihuatl (MH632v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This compound glyph for the personal name Yaocihuatl (perhaps “Warrior Woman” or "Combative Woman," attested here as a woman’s name) shows a frontal view of a war shield with an upright white cross and black quadrants.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

The design of the shield may suggest European influences. Unlike some others of its kind, this glyph does not include a visual element representing cihuatl. We only know the full name thanks to the gloss.

Here is another man's name that relates to women. See some additional examples below. With regard to female combatants, while warriors in Nahua culture were usually men, women could participate in some war-related activities. Achichina was a legendary rebellion leader shortly after the Spanish invasion of Mexico. Malintzin carries a shield and sword in some scenes of the Lienzo de Tlaxcala. Women bared their bottoms and threw breast milk at the enemy in the history written and painted by Diego Durán.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Gloss Diplomatic Transcription:

magtalena
yauçihuatl

Gloss Normalization:

Magdalena Yaocihuatl

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories:

personal name

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

simplex or element as logogram

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Gender (female)

Names (personal and/or theonym)

War or Conflict

Weapons, Shields, Armor

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

circle, circular or rounded

cross (+)

frontal view

Other Cultural Influences:

Spanish/European

Keywords:

war, guerra, guerreras, combatientes, mujeres, nombres de mujeres, nombres de personas, nombres de hombres, escudos, rodelas, cruz, viudas

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

yao(tl), combatant, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/yaotl
cihua(tl), woman, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/cihuatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

Guerrera, o Mujer Combatiente

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 632r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=347st=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:

"çi" for ci

"t" for d

"u" for o

Historical Contextualizing Image: