Ecamaxtla (MH727v)

Ecamaxtla (MH727v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name, Ecamaxtla (perhaps, literally, “Air-Loincloth”), shows an anthropomorphic face in profile, looking toward the viewer’s right. The face wears a buccal mask of the type that Nahua religion attributed to the divine force of the wind (Ehecatl) and through which he was believed to blow the wind around. To the left of this head is a frontal view of a loincloth, apparently made of white cotton, and tied in a knot.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

Ecatl (or, here, Ehcatl) is a common spelling for Ehecatl (wind), and yet Ecatl may have its own separate meaning (air, breath). Ehecatl was a day name in the tonalpohualli, 260-day divinatory calendar, which increased its likelihood as a personal name. But how does it combine with maxtlatl (loincloth)? There was a tlatoani (famous ruler) named Maxtla, son of Tezozomoc, who was the head of the empire based in Azcapotzalco in the fifteenth century. Perhaps this person has a name that recalls the power of that leader.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories:

deity name/theonym

personal name

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

compound fully logographic

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Gender (male)

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Religion (Indigenous)

Textiles, Clothing, Hats, Regalia

Weather, Climate

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Shapes and Perspectives:

facing right

frontal view

profile view

tied, bound, or bundled

Parts (compounds or simplex + notation):

Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation):

right to left

Keywords:

aire, viento, aliento, taparrabos, nombres de deidades, nombres de hombres, nombres famosos

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

eca(tl), air, breath, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/ecatl
eheca(tl), wind, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/ehecatl
maxtla(tl), loincloth, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/maxtlatl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

literalmente, Aire-Taparrabos

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 727v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=533&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: