Cuaxochtli

[idiez at MAC.COM]

I asked my students today if they have heard of 
cua/cuauh-xochitl/xochtli/xochihtli. First they said "cuauhxochitl", 
"flor de árbol", but then someone came up with the word "axochtli". It 
contains the -xochtli portion given at the beginning of this 
discussion, which allows us to depart from "flower".  Anyway in 
Northern Veracruz "axochtli" is a canal where water flows: it can 
either be an irrigation ditch in a field, or the drainage ditch (only 
about 4 or 5 inches wide and maybe 2 inches deep) which runs along the 
side of a house. Now for speculation: both presumably run along the 
side of something (a field or a house) and thus might refer to a 
boundary. Now, how does "cuahuitl" fit into this?
John

John Sullivan, Ph.D.
Profesor de lengua y cultura nahua
Unidad Académica de Idiomas
Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas
Director
Instituto de Docencia e Investigación Etnológica de Zacatecas, A.C.
Tacuba 152, int. 47
Centro Histórico
Zacatecas, Zac. 98000
México
Oficina: +52 (492) 925-3415
Fax: +52 (492) 925-3416
Domicilio: +52 (492) 768-6048
Celular: +52 (492) 544-5985
idiez at mac.com
www.idiez.org.mx

On Feb 17, 2006, at 2:58 PM, John F. Schwaller wrote:

> Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 12:06:48 -0800
> Subject: Cuaxochtli
> From: Karen Dakin <dakin at SERVIDOR.UNAM.MX>
> To: <NAHUAT-L-request at LISTS.UMN.EDU>
>
>
>
> I remember hearing a discussion of cuaxochtli among ethnohistorians in
> Mexico, and another possibility noted was that it is from cua-(witl) 
> 'tree'
> plus xoch- 'flower', because flowering trees were (and possibly still 
> are)
> boundary markers at times, since they are easily distinguished, at 
> least
> during the time they bloom.
>
> Karen Dakin
>
John Sullivan, Ph.D.
Profesor de lengua y cultura nahua
Unidad Académica de Idiomas
Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas
Director
Instituto de Docencia e Investigación Etnológica de Zacatecas, A.C.
Tacuba 152, int. 47
Centro Histórico
Zacatecas, Zac. 98000
México
Oficina: +52 (492) 925-3415
Fax: +52 (492) 925-3416
Domicilio: +52 (492) 768-6048
Celular: +52 (492) 544-5985
idiez at mac.com
www.idiez.org.mx