The ‘Water Drum’ and other aquatic birds

Espinosa’s comment may seem somewhat grandiose and exaggerated, yet his remarks are confirmed by the Nahua informants of Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, of Florentine Codex fame. Book XI of the Codex contains references to almost half of the hundred or more species of aquatic birds inhabiting the lake system in the Basin of Mexico, the majority of them migratory (spending winter in the southern USA, Mexico and Guatemala) - over twenty kinds of ducks, geese, pelicans, cormorants, ‘snake birds’ / ‘water turkeys’, seagulls, herons and more...
The Mexica were well aware that they had inherited knowledge of the marshy environment surrounding Tenochtitlan from an ancient, pre-agricultural lakeland culture known as Atlaca, known for their intense, primeval practice of codifying the seasonal rhythms of the ecosystem around them. This ‘millenarian observation of Nature’ has always been a feature of hunter-gatherer peoples around the world.
As can be seen in Picture 1, hunting and trapping aquatic birds involved the use of a range of timeworn artefacts - harpoons, lances, atlatls (spear throwers), slings, blowpipes, nets, snares and traps...

Pic 1: The valley and city of Mexico in 1550 - illustration based on detail from the Map of Uppsala

A good case in point is the atotolin (literally ‘water-turkey’ - the white American pelican). Capturing it was a risky and dangerous affair (follow the link below to learn more), since the bird could call on the wind to rise up and sink its human hunters. The water folk knew full well of the pelican’s own natural skill at catching fish and constantly undertook rituals to take on its powers. Indeed, the whole community would take part in sharing and eating the captured bird (picture 3).
Other aquatic birds were equally associated with the power of the wind (deity): the acitli (picture 2), and the acoyotl (picture 6) to name two. Others were linked to rain, whether indicating an immediate downpour (the atapalcatl) or forecasting a fruitful rainy season in general - the ateponaztli (Botaurus lentiginosus) (main picture and picture 4).

Pic 3: Eating the ‘atotoltin’; Florentine Codex Book XI

‘It is rather large, the same size as the Castilian chicken, the capon. Its head is dark yellow; its bill yellowish, small, and cylindrical, about a span in length. Its breast, its back, its tail, its wings are all dark yellow, slightly blackened; its legs, its shanks, are dark.
’And for this reason is it called tolcomoctli: as it sings, it resounds. For this reason is it called atoncuepotli: when it sings, it is clearly heard to explode; it is very loud. And it is called ateponaztli because it sounds from a distance like a two-toned drum. so loud it is...

Pic 5: The ‘tolcomoctli’ or ‘ateponaztli’ aquatic bird; Florentine Codex Book XI

Even the colour of a bird’s head, or other particular features might be linked to local auguries. It’s perhaps not surprising that the Mexica emperor’s famous collection of birds, animals and reptiles (far more than a ‘zoo’) contained a special section just for aquatic birds.
Moreover, the time of year at which these birds arrived in the Basin of Mexico was important: during the month of Etzalcualiztli a special ritual was held. Senior priests made their way to ‘mist houses’ on the lakeside, where for four days they ‘adopted the personality of aquatic birds’ (Espinosa Pineda), diving into the water, splashing and making waves, calling out, imitating the birds’ behaviour.

Pic 7: In the water with the ‘ateponaztli’ bird; Florentine Codex Book XI