tezcatl

Central Nahuatl

tezcatl

Aguilar Carrera, Sergio (2012); Método práctico de lengua náhuatl del Altiplano Mexicano; Jaltocán variant, Dirección de Casa de Cultura de Tecámac, State of Mexico, Mexico. ISBN 03-2012-030812540200-01.

Derived from teci "to grind" according to Andrews (2003).

Karttunen (1983) and Lockhart (2001) write tēzcatl; Andrews (2003) writes tezcatl.

tezcatl

mirror
- 1889, Bernardino de Sahagún, translated by Arthur J. O. Anderson, Charles E. Dibble, Florentine Codex‎^[1], volume 8, folio 17v:
  xuchitl, ietl, ineiscaujl tlatoanj, tezcatl injc motta tlatoanj, injc muchichioa amanteca impial, in isqujch imaçeoaia tlatoanj
  Flowers and tobacco, [which were] exclusively the ruler’s; a mirror in which the ruler looked at himself when he adorned himself. All these were the charge of the artisans when the ruler danced.
(figurative) exemplary behavior
- 1889, Bernardino de Sahagún, translated by Arthur J. O. Anderson, Charles E. Dibble, Florentine Codex‎^[2], volume 6, folio 204r:
  Amjxpan njcquetza in juhquj ocutl, in juhquj tlavilli, ioan yn juhquj tezcatl mjxpan njcmana, anoço njmjtzmaca in momachiouh, in juhquj moctacauh, in jtech timomachiotiz, in jtech timjxcujtiz: injc vel tinemjz, anoço injc vel titlatoz.
  “Before you I set up that which is like a torch, like a light. And I place before you that which is like a mirror. Or I give thee thy model, which is like thy measure; from it thou art to take thyself a model, thou art to take thyself an example, in order to live well, or in order to speak well.”

Andrews, J. Richard. (2003) Workbook for Introduction to Classical Nahuatl, Revised Edition, University of Oklahoma Press, page 250.
Karttunen, Frances. (1983) An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl, University of Texas Press, page 239.
Lockhart, James. (2001) Nahuatl as Written, Stanford University Press, page 235.

tezcatl