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Nahuatl dedication to a learned scholar

28th Dec 2023

Nahuatl dedication to a learned scholar

Mexica-Aztec woman sage or scholar; illustration by Rafael López Castro

This tribute, in Nahuatl and English, forms the dedication page in honour and memory of Thelma Sullivan, regarded as one of the foremost 20th century scholars of Classical Nahuatl, in the book The Art and Iconography of Late Post-Classic Central Mexico.

Tlamatini - A learned scholar
tlile tlapale - a possessor of books
tlahuilli - a light
ocotl - a torch
ohtli - a road
teyacan - a guide
machize - a repository of transmitted wisdom
temachtiani - a teacher
ma cemicac ximotlamatcacehuitzino ma ximopacticehuitzino - rest forever in peace
in quenonamican - in the abode of the dead
temohuayan - at the place of descent
in huilohuayan. - at the end of journeys.

Source for text and image:-
• Huehuehtlahtolli: testimonios de la antigua palabra translated by Librado Silva Galeana, introduction by Miguel León-Portilla, illustrations by Rafael López Castro, SEP/Fondo de Cultura Económica, Mexico City, 1991.

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Nahuatl dedication to a learned scholar

Mexica-Aztec woman sage or scholar; illustration by Rafael López Castro

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