§ 3 The Themes and Classes of the Songs
From what he could learn about them some two centuries or more after the Conquest, the antiquary Boturini classified all the ancient songs under two general heads, the one treating mainly of historical themes, while the other was devoted to purely fictitious, emotional or imaginative subjects.10 His terse classification is expanded by the Abbé Clavigero, who states that the themes of the ancient poets were various, some chanting the praises of the gods or petitioning them for favors, others recalled the history of former generations, others were didactic and inculcated correct habits of life, while others, finally, were in lighter vein, treating of hunting, games and love.11
His remarks were probably a generalization from a chapter in Torquemada’s Monarquia Indiana, in which that writer states that the songs at the sacred festivals differed in subject with the different months and seasons. Thus, in the second month of their calendar, at its stated festival, the people sang the greatness of their rulers; in the seventh month all the songs were of love, of women, or of hunting; in the eighth the chants recalled the noble deeds of their ancestors and their divine origin; while in the ninth month nothing was heard but verses fraught with lamentation for the dead.12 With less minuteness, Father Duran gives almost the same information. He himself had often heard the songs which Montezuma of Tenochtitlan, and Nezahualpizintli of Tezcuco, had ordered to be composed in their own honor, describing their noble lineage, their riches, their grandeur and their victories. These songs were in his day still sung at the public dances of the natives, and he adds, “although they were filled with laudation of their ancient rulers, it gave me much pleasure to hear the praises of such grandeur.” There were other poets, he observes, who lived in the temples and composed songs exclusively in honor of the gods.13
These general expressions may be supplemented by a list of terms, specifying particular classes of songs, preserved by various writers. These are as follows:—
melahuacuicatl: this is translated by Tezozomoc, “a straight and true song.”14 It is a compound of melahuac, straight, direct, true; and cuicatl, song. It was a beginning or opening song at the festivals, and apparently derived its name from its greater intelligibility and directness of expression. A synonym, derived from the same root, is tlamelauhcayotl, which appears in the title to some of the songs in the present collection.
xopancuicatl: this term is spelled by Ixtlilxochitl, xompacuicatl, and explained to mean “a song of the spring” (from xopan, springtime, cuicatl, song). The expression seems to be figurative, referring to the beginning or early life of things. Thus, the prophetic songs of Nezahualcoyotl, those which he sang when he laid the foundation of his great palace, bore this name.15
teuccuicatl: songs of the nobles (teuctli, cuicatl). These were also called quauhcuicatl, “eagle songs,” the term quauhtli, eagle, being applied to distinguished persons.
xochicuicatl: flower-song, one singing the praises of flowers.
icnocuicatl: song of destitution or compassion.
noteuhcuicaliztli: “the song of my lords.” This appears to be a synonymous expression for teuccuicatl; it is mentioned by Boturini, who adds that on the day sacred to the god Xiuhteuctli the king began the song so called.16
miccacuicatl: the song for the dead (miqui, to die, cuicatl). In this solemn chant the singers were seated on the ground, and their hair was twisted in plaits around their heads.17
In addition to the above terms drawn from the subject or character of the songs, there were others, of geographical origin, apparently indicating that the song, or its tune, or its treatment was borrowed from another locality or people. These are:—
Huexotzincayotl: a song of Huexotzinco, a Nahuatl town, situated east of the Lake of Tezcuco. This song was sung by the king and superior nobles at certain festivals, and, in the prescribed order of the chants, followed a melahuaccuicatl.18
Chalcayotl: a song of Chalco, on the lake of the same name. This followed the last mentioned in order of time at the festivals.
Otoncuicatl: a song of the Otomis. These were the immediate neighbors of the Nahuas, but spoke a language radically diverse. The songs so-called were sung fourth on the list.
Cuextecayotl: a song of the country of the Cuexteca, or Cuextlan, a northern province of Mexico.
Tlauancacuextecayotl: a song of the country of the Tlauancacuexteca.
Anahuacayotl: a song of Anahuac, that is, of a country near the water, either the valley of Mexico, or the shores of the ocean.
Some very ancient sacred songs were referred to by Tezozomoc as peculiar to the worship of Huitzilopochtli, and, indeed, introduced by this potent divinity. From their names, cuitlaxoteyotl, and tecuilhuicuicatl,19 I judge that they referred to some of those pederastic rites which still prevail extensively among the natives of the pueblos of New Mexico, and which have been described by Dr. William A. Hammond and other observers.20 One of these songs began,
| Cuicoyan | | | nohuan | | | mitotia; |
| In-the-place-of-song | | | with-me | | | they-dance. |
But the old chronicler, who doubtless knew it all by heart, gives us no more of it.21