Tequicen (MH618v)

Tequicen (MH618v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Tequicen (perhaps a "Cut Corn Cob," attested here as a man's name) shows a maize (cintli or centli) cob that has been cut (tequi) from a plant. The cob is segmented, an indication of the kernels.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Ce and cem can simply refer to the number one, which could come into play in this name, in addition to referring to an ear of corn. The glyph for the personal name Cemolotl comes to mind. Cemolotl was a way of saying "one" (given that olotl was a counter in the numbering system). Of course, olotl also refers to one maize cob after the kernels were removed. Given the centrality of these objects to daily life for the Nahuas, it is no wonder that they could be useful as counters.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
Syntax: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Shapes and Perspectives: 
Keywords: 

maíz seca, mazorca seca, cortar, verbo, centli, cintli, nombres de hombres

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

La Mazorca Seca

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 618v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=319&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: