A point of view from an expert.
E-mail sent by Jonathan D. Amith, a Nahuatl language scholar, to Atl-Tlachinolli2012
This e-mail was originally sent in English.
Dated as of Wednesday, Feb 27, 2002 14:26:12
Just briefly...
The key phrase here is /cohuatl izomocayan/. The second construction is an obligatorily possessed noun. Launey (Introduccion a la lengua nahuatl...) treats these on p. 225; Andrews (Introduction to Classical Nahuatl) has a slightly different (and erroneous) analysis on pp. 306 ff. You can see also look in Sullivan (Compendium...).
Anyway, the construction is made up of -ya:n added to a shortened (perfective) verb stem, e.g., from kochi 'he sleeps' one has /i:kochiya:n/ 'his customary place of sleeping (i.e., bedroom)' Launey gives the meaning as 'the place or moment in which X (possessor) Verbs'.
Considering that /i-/ is the possessor prefix and /-yan/ the locative, one is left with cohuatl i-zomoca-yan 'Snake, the place in which it Verbs'.
...I would suspect that /tesomoka/ is intended. Here are my notes on /tesomoka/:
30/Jan/2002
V1
V1-b
Class 4a
To snort (a pig)
Tesomokatok un pitso pampa kwala:ni. Xetiktlakwaltia.
That pig is snorthing because it is mad. You haven't fed him yet.
To hiss (a snake)
In general <na>tesomoka</na> refers to the sound made by breathing out through ones throat and nose. Consultants mentioned that the only animals to which this verb can apply are pigs and snakes.
Who is Jonathan D. Amith, and why is he considered a trustful source.
UE/EU/L'UE: Marzo 4, 2002 / March 4, 2002 / 4 Mars, 2002
Anahuak: 3-Tochtli, 1-Coatl, 11-Cuauhtli