Yaomitl (MH520v)

Yaomitl (MH520v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This compound glyph for the personal name Yaomitl has three elements deserving comments. The first is a war (yaoyotl) shield that is emblematic for the name Yaotl (Enemy or Combatant). Peeking out from under the shield are parts of a turtle (ayotl), suggesting the shield doubles as the turtle's shell. The turtle shell has the conventional surface marked by a diamond and dot pattern. Finally, piercing the shield is an arrow (mitl), at an angle, with a jagged red (bloodied?) point and, at the top, a feathery decoration.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Yaotl and ayotl are nearly homophones, so the turtle is a phonetic complement that is merged with the war shield. The shield has a more European shape than the traditional chimalli, which is round and typically has fringe at the bottom. The mitl here differs a little from the mitl of the Codex Mendoza, which does not have the jagged point of this one. This jagged point is reminiscent of the crossbow arrow (tlaxichtli] (see below).

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

matheo yaomitl

Gloss Normalization: 

Matheo Yaomitl

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

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

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzinco, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
compound fully logographic
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Animals, incl. Birds, Bugs, Insects, Reptiles, etc.
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
War or Conflict
Weapons, Shields, Armor
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
diagonal or angled
diamond shape(s)
dotted, granular, textured
pointed (see also spiky)
Keywords: 

shields, escudos, arrows, flechas, turtles, tortugas

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

yao(tl), enemy, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/yaotl
mi(tl), arrow or dart, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/mitl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Flecha del Enemigo

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 520v, World Digital Library. https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=120&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: 
See Also: 

Chimal (MH517v)

mitl (Mdz40r)

Tlaxich (MH517r)