Cuitlahuac-Cuitlahuacah

Gordon Whittaker gwhitta at gwdg.de
Sun Jun 7 18:45:10 UTC 2009


Dear Lahun Ik 62, Baert Georges, Flanders Fields,

I think we all agree on where the town of Cuitlahuac was located. But
that's not the issue. The question relates to its etymology, on which
unfortunately you don't comment. The long list of (mostly secondary)
source citations you provide fails to address the matter. Any suggestions
on the etymology?

As for the personal name, the same thing goes. You cite a passage in the
Cronica Mexicayotl in which his name is spelled Cuitlahuactzin. The same
passage in Chimalpahin's version of the Cronica Mexicayotl, however,
reads:

"... yn tlacatl cuitlahuatzin tlahtohuani tenochtitlan yn ipiltzin
axayacatzin", without the alleged final -c. In fact, in Sahagun and
throughout Chimalpahin and in practically all instances in all Nahuatl
texts it is Cuitlahua(tzin) that we see, not Cuitlahuac(tzin).

The "Cuitlahuacah" (my Cuitlahuaca') that you cite is nothing more than
the term for the people of Cuitlahuac, so it doesn't help us with either
name.

Finally, you write, "Do not confuse the word with Cuitlahuahtzin, who was
a Lord in Huexotlah, Sah.8, 14, or with Cuitlahuatzin the Old, son of
Huitzilihhuitl, Chimalpahin 3, 99-89v." I am afraid you are confusing the
issue here. It is one and the same name in each case. But what about the
etymology? That was what I was actually talking about.

Best,
Gordon Whittaker

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gordon Whittaker
Professor
Linguistische Anthropologie und Altamerikanistik
Seminar fuer Romanische Philologie
Universitaet Goettingen
Humboldtallee 19
37073 Goettingen
Germany
tel./fax (priv.): ++49-5594-89333
tel. (office): ++49-551-394188
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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