Notes.
Reading edition
Huitzilopochtli was the well-known war-god of the Azteca, whose functions are described by Sahagun (Historia, Lib. I., cap. 1) and many other writers. The hymn here given is probably the tlaxotecuyotl, which was chanted at the celebration of his feast in the fifteenth month of the Mexican calendar (see Sahagun, Historia, Lib. II., cap. 34). The word means “his glory be established.” It was commenced at sunset and repeated till sunrise.
1. “In the garb of our ancestors” (to-citli-quemitl). The high priest appeared in the insignia of Quetzalcoatl, which, says Sahagun, “were very gorgeous.” (Hist., Lib. II., Appendix.)
2. Mixteca, plural of Mixtecatl, an inhabitant of Mixtecapan, near the Pacific. The Huasteca, a nation of Maya lineage, lived on the Gulf coast.
3. The god was called the Hurler, as he was believed to hurl the lightning serpent (the xiuhcoatl).
5. Sahagun recites the legends about the Amanteca (Historia, Lib. IX., cap. 18). Here the name refers to the inhabitants of the quarter called Amantlan.
6. Pipiteca, a nomen gentile, referring doubtless to a certain class of the hearers.
This hymn may be compared to another, descriptive of the same divinity, preserved in Sahagun’s MS. in Madrid. It is as follows, with my translation by its side.
VitzilopuchtliHuitzilopochtli,
Can maceualliOnly a subject,
Can tlacatl catca.Only a mortal was.
NaualliA magician,
TetzauitlA terror,
AtlacacemelleA stirrer of strife,
TeixcuepaniA deceiver,
Quiyocoyani in yaoyotlA maker of war,
YautecaniAn arranger of battles,
Yautlatoani;A lord of battles;
Ca itechpa mitoayaAnd of him it was said
Tepan quitlazaThat he hurled
In xiuhcoatlHis flaming serpent,
ImmamalhuaztliHis fire stick;
Quitoznequi yaoyotlWhich means war,
Teoatl tlachinolli.Blood and burning;
Auh iniquac ilhuiq’xtililoyaAnd when his festival was celebrated,
MalmicouayaCaptives were slain,
TlaaltilmicoayaWashed slaves were slain,
Tealtilaya impochteca.The merchants washed them.
Auh inic mochichiuaya:And thus he was arrayed:
Xiuhtotonacoche catcaWith head-dress of green feathers,
XiuhcoanaualeHolding his serpent torch,
XiuhtlalpileGirded with a belt,
MatacaxeBracelets upon his arms,
TzitzileWearing turquoises,
Oyuvale.As a master of messengers.
When in Florence, in 1889, I had an accurate copy made of the Nahuatl text and all the figures of the first book of Sahagun’s History. The colored figure of Huitzilopochtli is in accordance with the above description.