Cuauhchita (MH542r)

Cuauhchita (MH542r)
Compound Hieroglyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Cuauhchita shows a profile view (facing right) of the man's head (cua-), which is nearly homophonic with cuauh-, the stem for eagle or wood. Above the head is a net bag (chitatli) sitting on top. The bag, outlined in red, has a handle or loop at the top. The bag has a mesh texturing.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

We have other glyphs glossed Cuauhchita that feature eagles, which leads to the conclusion here that Cuauhchita is meant over Cuachita (see the gloss image). In Guatemala, Cuachita (affectionate for Cuata) refers to a female twin. (See the Diccionario de Americanismos.) Of course, in this example, we have a man's name. Also, Cuachita-as-Twin could represent more of a Hispanizing effect than would have been likely in 1560.

The use of an eagle (cuauhtli) can contribute the same stem, cuauh-, as wood (cuahuitl). But the Gran Diccionario Náhuatl includes a cuauhchito, a type of bird. Perhaps this bird is meant by the name Cuauhchita, and in the case of the cuauchito, it is really cuauchiton, a diminutive version, and the eagle or wood and net bag are just phonetic indicators for the bird's name.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss or Text Image: 
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Semantic Categories: 
Syntax: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Parts (compounds or simplex + notation): 
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
Keywords: 

bolsas, redes, madera, nombres de hombres, men's names, fonetismo

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Bolsa de Madera y Red

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 
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: