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a precious stone (often intending jadeite or what some call "cultural jade"), especially a precious green or blue stone; also, part of a metaphor for a newborn baby, child
also a metaphor for a vagina, which can be perforated like a jadeite bead, and when still virginal is called "oc chalchihuitl" (see attestations)
See an image that represents chalchihuitl in the Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs, ed. Stephanie Wood (Eugene, Ore.: Wired Humanities, 2020-present).
yn isquich yc otlatocat yn oquiman ymil ahu in icoac omic cuix ma oncan pouh yn tecpan cayyo ca onquiça ca ytech phui yn inpilhuan ahu in tlacalaquili yn tilmatli yhuan yn pisquitl. yn tlaolli cequi quitemaca cequi çan yc quicohua chalchihuitl. teocuitlatl x̶i̶h̶u̶i̶t̶l̶.̶ ahu in icoac omique ca ye intech povi. yn inpilhuan cuix ma oncan quicauhtihui in tecpan ca çan iuhqui y ye ypan netlayecoltilo tlatocayotl. = all that he ruled over, all the lands he took for himself, when he has died, belong to the palace alone; what belonged to his children has ended. And as to the tributes, the capes, and the harvest of shelled corn, [such rulers] give some to others; with some they buy precious green stones and gold. But when they have died, [these things] belong to their children. Did they leave them to the palace as if they were acquired for the realm? (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
anquinpiezque amo can quexquichtin. amo tzonquizque. amo tlanque yezque. yn amomacehualhuan yn amechtlacallaquilizque yn amechmacazque yn amo çan quexquich tlapanahuia hualca. yn chalchihuitl. yn coztic teocuitlatl. yn quetzalli. yn quetzalitztli = you will have in your keeping countless, infinite, unlimited commoners who will pay tribute to you, who will give you an immeasurable superfluity of precious green stones, of gold, of quetzal feathers, of emerald-green jade (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
ma nimitznomaquilli cencomitl nicpia nochalchiuh = let me give you the entire jar of green stones that I keep
auh ça no iuhqui, in chalchivitl, in tevxiuitl, in quetzalchalchivitl…y ye muchi ca muchi ìtonal in tlatoque = and similarly green stone, turquoise, fine green jade… all, everything, all was the rightful due of the rulers (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Tictetezoa in chalchiuitl, ticoaoazoa in quetzalli. Inin tlatolli: itechpa mitoa: in aquin itla cenca tlazotli quitlacoa. = You scratch the jade, you tear apart the quetzal feather. This is said about someone who mutilates something precious.
Uel chalchiuhtic, uel teuxiuhtic, uel actic, uel otoliuhqui. Inin tlatolli, itechpa mitoaya: in aquin cenca uel tecutlatoa, tenonotza = Precisely like jade, precisely like turquoise, long as a reed and very round. These words were said of a royal orator who counselled the people very well.
at noce ixqujchtzin, atzintli, conmopolviz in tlalticpaque: in chalchiuhtli, in maqujztli, in tlaҫotli: aҫo techonmocujliliqujuh = Or perhaps, small as he is, a tender little thing, the lord of the earth will destroy the precious stone, the arm band, the precious thing. Perhaps he who made the child will come to take it from us (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
auh muchinti, ynmaxtlatzon ietiuh, quetzalxixilquj, quetzalmjiaoaio: in chalchiuhcozquj ietiuh, yoan momacuextitiuj, qujmomacuextitiuj chalchiujtl: tlaixolujlti, qujmixolhujaia, mjxmichioaujque, yoan ymolcac, ymolcac ietiuh, muchintin maujzçotiuj, tlacencaoalti, tlachichioalti, muchi tlaçotlanquj, yn jntech ietiuh, tlaçotlantiuj, qujmamatlapaltia, amatl, amaamatlapaleque: tlapechtica in vicoia, quetzalcallotiuja yn vncã momantiujia, qujntlapichilitiuja = And all went with head-bands with sprays and sprigs of quetzal feathers; they had green stone necklaces, and they went provided with green stone. Their faces were painted with liquid rubber, and spotted with a paste of amaranth seeds. And their liquid rubber sandals: they had sandals of liquid rubber. All went in glorious array; they were adorned and ornamented; all had valuable things on them. They gave them paper wings; wings of paper they had. They were carried in litters covered with quetzal feathers, and in these [the children] were kings. And they went sounding flutes for them. (sixteenth century, Mexico City)
Personal names written in hieroglyphs in the Matrícula de Huexotzinco can have the spelling Chalchiuhtli in the glosses. These two examples are beads that are painted a turquoise blue. (SW)
https://aztecglyphs.wired-humanities.org/content/chalchiuhtli-mh615v
https://aztecglyphs.wired-humanities.org/content/chalchiuhtli-mh615r
ca oc tatzintli, titotozintli; ca oc tixiluti, timiyahuati; in ma zan yuh tichalchiuhtzintli, titeuxiuhtzintli; in ma zan yuh tiquetzaltzintli = porque aún eres agüita, pajarito; aún eres espiga tierna; sólo eres como pequeña piedra preciosa, como pequeña turquesa; solamente eres como plumilla (centro de México, s. XVI)
Intla tipilli amo oncan ticcahuaz in mopillo, in motlatocayo, in mohueyca; amoma chalchihuitl, teixihuitl in momac temi amo hualtepehuiz = Si tú eres noble no [por eso] dejarás allí tu nobleza, tu nombradía, tu grandeza; ni vendrá a caer la piedra preciosa, la turquesa legítima que está colocada en tu mano (centro de México, s. XVI)
yn chalchihuitl yhuan yn xihuitl = y los chalchihuites y las hierbas (Xochimilco, 1577)
yn quetzaltohtotl yuan chalchiuitl mahcuiltetl uel quimopiyaliz yn nopiltzin don Diego yehica ca tlatohcatlatquitl = Y los quexaltototl y los [cinco] chalchihuites, que los guarden mis hijos don Diego, que son preciados (Tulancingo, México, 1577)
Auh in chalchiuitl amo ycuiliuhticatca ça tepan ohualnez ca saco catca huey tepol çan patlachtic niman ocoluic Pedro Flores sasdre español = Y una piedra que llaman chalchihuite que no está asentada por que [a]pareció, se halló después acá en la caja donde estaba y es grande, chata y luego se la dejo a Pedro Flores, sastre español (San Sebastián, 1576)
ome achalchihuitl yhuan ce Cruz achalchihuitl niman chicome retapritos = dos piedras que llaman chalchihuites, y también una cruz, que también llaman salchihuites, también siete retablitos (Xochimilco, 1650)
san tehuantin titomattoque yn oncan San Math[e]o tlateconlaca chalchiuhxique = nosotros solos somos los del barrio de San Matheo, a [d]onde cortan y labran las piedras de estima (San Juan Tenochtitlan, 1642)
Nicpia quezquitel chalchihuitl yca coztic teocuitlatl yhuan zequime tetzitzintin = También tengo unas piedras preciosas engastadas con oro y otras muchas diferentes piedras (Tepexi de la Seda, 1621)
ynuã onca centetl Cha[lch]ihuitl quetzaliztli Monamacaz ypatiuh yez x pso Yhuã Cemaque[…]li chalchihuitl ce pso ypatiuh Segunda Capill[a] quiCuico 1 ps ipanpa. Xa[…]li ic quihuazquia. quixtlahuazque = Y allí chalchihuite [del color del] Quetzal, que doy por el precio, que será 11 pesos. Y allí hay un […] chalchihuite; un peso es el precio y el precio del otro es un peso. Y digo que diera un peso al lugar del canto en la segunda capilla [...] lo pagarán. (Tetzcoco, 1610)
oc chalchihuitl = entera virgen