Tempil (MH895r)

Tempil (MH895r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Tenpil (perhaps “Lip Ornament” or “Chiltepin”) is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows a profile view of lips and a chin. Protruding from just below the lips (tentli) is a horizontal object that looks something like a screw (with markings that make it appear twisted). The tempilolli lip ornament, seemingly indicated here, could take many shapes, and it was often made of gold, as shown in our Online Nahuatl Dictionary.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

Another interpretation is that this name uses phonetic indicators (tentli, tempilolli) to point to the real intention, a tenpilchilli (or tempilchilli) pepper, mentioned in the Florentine Codex (Book 10, f. 48v). This chile could be small, round, and red–which a baby might call to mind if it is anything like the chiltepin of today.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

anto. tenpil

Gloss Normalization: 

Antonio Tempil

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 possibilities
Syntax: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as logogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Anatomy, human body parts
Food, Eating, Cooking
Gender (male)
Jewelry, Crowns, or other Adornment
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Plants, Flora
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
facing right
profile view
Keywords: 

chiles, labios, bezotes, nombres de hombres

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

ten(tli), lips, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tentli
tempilol(li), a lip ornament, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tempilolli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

posiblemente, Bezote o Chiltepin

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 895r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=862&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: 

Ilacatz (MH832r)

chilli (Mdz37r)

chilli (Mdz37r)