Temictli (MH789v)

Temictli (MH789v)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This is a black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Temic ("A Dream," "A Caterpillar," or a famous name) and is attested here as a man's name. The glyph shows a frontal view of a vertical caterpillar with curving horizontal lines along its body and two antennae on top of its head. It has a small face.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

At least two other glyphs in this collection show caterpillars for the name Temic or Temictli. Caterpillars resemble shrouded corpses, which could be a phonetic indication for micqui (deceased person), and provide the "mic-" element in this name. Perhaps the caterpillars were meant to disguise the meaning of "dream." Bartolomé de Alva's confessionary shows that Nahuas were interrogated about their belief in dreams. Another consideration is that the caterpillar was a dream of a butterfly to come, and butterflies figure prominently in Nahua religious beliefs, as explained in an article by Ian Mursell in Mexicolore.

Temictli was also a famous name, given to the nephew of Moctezuma 1. Here it is also attested as a man's name.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

po te micthi

Gloss Normalization: 

Pedro Temictli

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

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

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
phonetic dimensions
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as phonogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Anatomy, human body parts
Animals, incl. Birds, Bugs, Insects, Reptiles, etc.
Dreams, Visions
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
segmented
tied, bound, or bundled
vertical, upright
profile view
facing right
Keywords: 

cocoons, capullos, dreams, sueños, death, muerte, morir, shrouds, sleep, dormir, caterpillars, butterfly, mariposas, nombres de hombres

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

miqui, to die, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/miqui
temic(tli), dream, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/temictli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

La Gente Muere

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 789v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=653&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: 

Temic (MH563r)

Temictli (MH785v)

Temic (Verg6r)