acxoyatl (Chav16)

acxoyatl (Chav16)
Element from a Compound

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the element acxoyatl (special branches used in a festival) has been extracted from the compound glyph for the place name Acxotlan. The element shows two vertical branches with a center piece of wood and short black lines emanating in a curving fashion on both sides of each branch and at the top. There is a white space between the wood and the needles. John Bierhorst (A Nahuatl-English Dictionary and Concordance to the Cantares Mexicanos, 1985, 26) gives "fir" as one translation for acxoyatl. He adds that these materials were "used in ritual bloodletting and mock combat."

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Chavero, Codex (Chav)
Date of Manuscript: 

1578

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico

Syntax: 
noun(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Blood (human/animal/plant)
Gifts, Offerings, Sacrifice
Plants, Flora
Religion (Indigenous)
Wood, wooden things
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
linear or multiple straight lines
frontal view
spiky
symmetry
vertical, upright
Keywords: 

abetos, fir trees, branches, ramas,

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

acxoya(tl), a type of branch used in the festival of Huei Tozoztli, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/acxoyatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

las ramas de abeto

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

The Codex Chavero of Huexotzinco (or Códice Chavero de Huexotzinco), https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_03246_001/?sp=16

Image Source, Rights: 

The Codex Chavero of Huexotzinco (or Códice Chavero de Huexotzinco) is held by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México. It is published online by the World Digital Library and the Library of Congress, which is “unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection.”

See Also: 

Acxotlan (Chav16)

acxoyatl (CmpRG)

Acxocue (MH632v)

Acxoyatl (MH775v)