Tlahcuiloa
/t͡ɬaʔkʷiˈloːa/noun
A Classical Nahuatl verb meaning to write, paint, or make pictorial marks.
Did you know?In Nahuatl culture, tlahcuiloa could describe the work of specialist scribes who created painted manuscripts, including records of history, tribute, ritual, and sacred knowledge.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Classical Nahuatl
tlahcuiloa
“To write, paint, or make marks representing meaning”
16th Century
Nahuatl
tlacuiloa
“A colonial-era spelling variant meaning to write or paint”
16th Century
Nahuatl
tlacuilo
“A painter-scribe or manuscript artist, formed from the same verb stem”
16th Century
Nahuatl
tlahcuilolli
“Something written or painted; a manuscript or pictorial record”
Modern scholarship
English
tlahcuiloa
“A scholarly transliteration of a Classical Nahuatl verb associated with writing, painting, and manuscript production”
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