Yaocihuatl (Verg12v)

Yaocihuatl (Verg12v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Yaocihuatl (perhaps "Warrior Woman” or "Combative Woman," attested here as a man’s name) shows a profile view of a woman's (cihuatl) head looking toward the viewer's left. Behind her head is a war shield (chimalli), a glyph typically used in names to conjure up war (yaotl) and to speak specifically of enemies or combatants. While this shield appears to have a happy-face design, it is surely a simplified cuexyo design.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

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:

juan.yahoçihuatl

Gloss Normalization:

Juan Yaocihuatl

Gloss Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Vergara, Codex (Verg)

Date of Manuscript:

1539

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

near Tepetlaoztoc, near Tetzcoco

Semantic Categories:

personal name

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

compound fully logographic

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Gender (female)

Gender (male)

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:

facing left

frontal view

profile view

Parts (of compounds or simplex + notation):

Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation):

right to left

Keywords:

nombres, hombres, mujeres, género, guerra, combate

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:

Codex Vergara, folio 12r, https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84528032/f31.item.zoom

Image Source, Rights:

The non-commercial reuse of images from the Bibliothèque nationale de France is free as long as the user is in compliance with the legislation in force and provides the citation: “Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France” or “Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF.” We would also appreciate a citation to the Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs, https://aztecglyphs.wired-humanities.org/.

Historical Contextualizing Image: