apitzahuacan

[John Sullivan, Ph.D.]

Gordon,
	Your example, "There are parallels for toponyms compounded of  
intransitive verb + -ca:n. For example, A:pitza:huaca:n 'Where the  
Water is Narrow'." seemed to blow a hole in the idea that -can is only  
used with preterite nouns. However, Molina has "Pitzauac. cosa  
delgada, (etc)". As we know, the combining form of these kinds of  
nouns is produced by changing the final "c" of the preterite to the  
older "ca", giving "pitzahuaca-". The locative "n" is then suffixed to  
form the place name. "Pitzahua" is both intransitive and transitive,  
so a decision would have to be made as to whether "atl" is functioning  
as an object or an adverb.
	The sense of apitzahuacan is pretty much the same is cholollan (from  
"chololli", "salto de agua"): it's the place where the river ravine  
narrows, producing a gush of water, reminiscent of the "breaking of  
the water" of the lake of Aztlan, pregnant with the original nahua  
clan founders.
John

John Sullivan, Ph.D.
Professor of Nahua language and culture
Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas
Zacatecas Institute of Teaching and Research in Ethnology
Tacuba 152, int. 43
Centro Histórico
Zacatecas, Zac. 98000
Mexico
Work: +52 (492) 925-3415
Fax: +1 (858) 724-3030 (U.S.A.)
Home: +52 (492) 768-6048
Mobile: +52 1 (492) 103-0195
idiez at me.com
www.macehualli.org

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