Huitzilihuitl (MH487v)

Huitzilihuitl (MH487v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Huitzilihuitl (here, attested as a man’s name) shows the head of a hummingbird (huitzilin) in profile, looking toward the viewer's right. It has the diagnostic long beak. The feathers on its head are textured around the perimeter. They are not so prominent, perhaps, as to account for the second part of the name "-ihuitl" ("Feather"), hence the designation as a simplex glyph.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

This name is one of those where a fairly average citizen was given the name of someone famous. According to Wikipedia, "Huitzilihuitl or Huitzilihuitzin was the second Tlatoani or king of Tenochtitlan. According to the Codex Chimalpahin, he reigned from 1390 to 1415, according to the Codex Aubin, he reigned from 1396 to 1417 and according to the Codex Chimalpopoca, he reigned from 1403 to 1417."

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

Juā vitziguitl

Gloss Normalization: 

Juan Huitzilihuitl

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Semantic Categories: 
Syntax: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Keywords: 

hummingbirds, colibríes, feathers, plumas

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

Pluma de Colibrí

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 487r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=53&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: