incienso (CST36)

incienso (CST36)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This painting of the simplex glyph for the Spanish loanword incienso (incense) shows a pink and white cup of granulated incense on a pedestal. A white spoon rests on the top of the cup. The companion text also employs the word copalli (an Indigenous incense) to explain what this is, but elaborates that it is Castilian and derives from estoraque (a tree in Spain with aromatic balsam, according to Kevin Terraciano, Codex Sierra, 2021, p. 156, note 94).

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Mesoamerican copalli comes from tree resin. A glyph of copalli in the Codex Mendoza (below) shows how the pieces of resin were cradled in a large leaf.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Source Manuscript: 
Sierra/Texupan, Codex (CST)
Date of Manuscript: 

1550–1564

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Santa Catalina Texupan, Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca

Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as logogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Fire, Tobacco, Incense, Smoke
Religion (Christian)
Religion (Indigenous Christianity)
Technology (all types), plus Tools
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
pink
red
white/neutral
Other Cultural Influences: 
Mixtec
Spanish/European
Keywords: 

inciensos, copal

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

incienso (a loanword from Spanish taken into Nahuatl), incense, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/incienso

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

incienso Castellano

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Códice Sierra-Texupan, plate 36, page dated 1561. Origin: Santa Catalina Texupan, Mixteca Alta, State of Oaxaca. Kevin Terraciano has published an outstanding study of this manuscript (Codex Sierra, 2021), and in his book he refers to alphabetic and “pictorial” writing, not hieroglyphic writing. We are still counting some of the imagery from this source as hieroglyphic writing, but we are also including examples of “iconography” where the images verge on European style illustrations or scenes showing activities. We have this iconography category so that such images can be fruitfully compared with hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphic writing was evolving as a result of the influence of European illustrations, and even alphabetic writing impacted it.
https://bidilaf.buap.mx/objeto.xql?id=48281&busqueda=Texupan&action=search

Image Source, Rights: 

The Biblioteca Digital Lafragua of the Biblioteca Histórica José María Lafragua in Puebla, Mexico, publishes this Códice Sierra-Texupan, 1550–1564 (62pp., 30.7 x 21.8 cm.), referring to it as being in the “Public Domain.” This image is published here under a Creative Commons license, asking that you cite the Biblioteca Digital Lafragua and this Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs.

Orthography: 
"e" for i
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

copalli (Mdz37r)

iyetl (MH613v)