Aztec Music

Aztec musical instruments

Aztec music is an art form waiting to be discovered. According to Pablo Castellanos, the Aztec language Nahuatl has 58 terms that directly relate to music and its performance. According to Gertrude Prokosch Kurath and Samuel Martí, 42 dances and songs were ‘given special Nahuatl names’ by the Mexica. The conclusion is well made by Norman Weinberg: ‘Any culture creating such a multitude of words relating to a subject would manage that subject with respect and reverence’. We’re only just learning how true that is... (Written/compiled by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)

Here (choose an instrument from the right-hand menu) we offer images and sounds of a small group of COPIES of clay wind instruments; taken together they give a hint of how Aztec flutes, whistles and ocarinas may have sounded – but note the caution above, and also bear in mind that these recordings were made by our good - English! - friend Will Summers of Tunkul... To hear the sounds of some ORIGINAL pre-Columbian instruments follow some of the links below. You can hear some of Tunkul’s music accompanying Tec in our Kids Aztecs microsite (click on Kids at the very top of the page); and you can hear the sound of the teponaztli drum in our fully illustrated feature article (follow link below).

Aztec music is a key element in all our programmes in schools and museums (pic 2): it’s obviously an element that captivates the children we work with: Zoe - a Year 5 pupil at Emmer Green Primary School, Reading - says it all (pic 4)...

• Would you have got it right? Have a look at the codex picture below (pic 5) and guess: is this Aztec musician playing at a funeral ceremony or to wake up a priest? For the answer, click on ‘Occasionally even experts make mistakes!’ in the right hand menu.

• A US music teacher has created a very useful, simply illustrated, introductory webpage on Aztec drum rhythms, based on making connections between language, maths and music (pic 6). He incorporates notation based on the famous 16th. century ‘Cantares Mexicanos’ manuscript - referred to in our teponaztli feature.

• There’s been a lot of debate as to whether the high civilisations of Latin America played stringed instruments - the established ‘line’ is that they only used wind and percussion. If you visit the site of the US Princeton Art Museum’s ‘Music from the Land of the Jaguar’ exhibition (link below) you can listen to recordings made on several original pre-Columbian instruments, including a remarkable string-rasp-and-resonator Maya instrument (depicted on an ancient Maya ceramic vessel) that produces an extraordinarily lifelike imitation of a jaguar’s growl.

• If you’re seriously interested in researching developments in music archaeology, you should make contact with ISGMA in Berlin - a link is provided below. Thanks to the dedicated work of our friend Adje Both - whose research website mixcoalli.com is also given below (’Music Archaeology of the Americas’) - there is a strong focus on discoveries of musical instruments at the Templo Mayor in Mexico City. You should find on their website a larger image of the oldest musical instrument yet discovered in the world...!

• To hear some truly intriguing sounds of Aztec wind instruments, researched, reconstructed and played by Mexican Roberto Velázquez Cabrera, a mechanical engineer by profession, follow the link below NOTE: Since Roberto’s untimely death in 2018 his site is still available but you will need to navigate it carefully and patiently...!
Roberto’s collection of replica pre-Columbian instruments, built up over many years, now numbers over 1,000. On his website you can even find photo-instruction guides for making ancient Mexican wind instruments...

• The Aztec-style music from our website has been put to super use by Mexican postgraduate student in animation, Lucía Morgan, in her delightful film short ‘The Legend of the Bat’ (follow link below). Enjoy!

• For a beautifully and authentically presented introduction to Mexica/Aztec instruments and music, we recommend watching this video - part of Art History Summer Series 2020 - with a well documented and researched illustrated talk by Alegría García, a rising star in the field of ethnomusicology and daughter of our friend and superb musician Christopher García, on ‘The Role of Death in Mexica-Aztec Music’. Her choice of imagery is superb. Follow the link below to watch on Youtube.

• Excellent summary of the importance of music to the Mexica:-
’Musical instruments, imbued with divine essence, such as idiophones, membranophones and aerophones, were used to found cities, invest rulers, name towns and people, dress for ceremonial occasions, sing poetry, perform sacrifices and festivals, go to war, and to honour the dead.’ - Luis Antonio Gómez G.

Our teponaztli feature Learn about Mexica royal court musicians...‘How Music Came to the World...’Learn how the Aztecs tuned their big war drums...‘The Legend of the Bat’Phil Tulga’s Aztec Drum Rhythm webpage ‘Gongs of the Nahua and Azteca’International Study Group on Music Archaeology See Alegría García’s presentation on Mexico-Aztec Music The website of Mexican Roberto Velázquez Cabrera Watch a demonstration of an unusual Maya jaguar roar instrument A useful short glossary of Mexica instruments Hear a recently excavated bird whistle from Calixtlahuaca Learn about the ‘chirped echo’ effect at Chichen Itzá The newly discovered ‘Bell Stone’ at Xolotl Hill (in Spanish)

Discover a musical instrumentthat imitates a jaguar’s growl!

What the {italicFlorentine Codex} tells us

What the Florentine Codex tells usabout the every-day Nahua soundscape...

Welcome to our very first PODCAST- on ‘Aztec death whistles’...!

The ayotl or turtle-shell drum- a musical gift from nature...

The ambiguous meaning of {italic{bold{brownmecahuehuetl}}}

The ambiguous meaning of mecahuehuetl- is it the Nahua name for the concha guitar, or...?

The ancient Mexican skull rasp -a widely used Mesoamerican instrument

Mexican archaeology... in Wales?

Mexica (Aztec) songs about Tenochtitlanare full of metaphors of war and beauty...

Can anyone shed light on this Aztec drumplayed by Nahua villagers half a century ago?

Visit a new archive of ancient Mexican sounds- accessible to all, as no language is involved!

Music song and dance among the Aztecs - a short introduction

‘Music’ in ancient Mexico encompassedsong, dance, theatre, drama, poetry and much more ...

Hear and see how stones can‘sing’ - and make great music...!

Were stringed instrumentsplayed in ancient Mexico?

The ultimate sound bitesTec’s latest challenges!

The Aztecs sang - literally -- ‘to their hearts’ content’

Oscar Wilde wrote all aboutthe ‘fantastic character’ of Aztec instruments

See and hear an expert musicianraise the tempo on a teponaztli...

Aztec music -- will we ever know what it sounded like?

Listen to the soundof a large horned toad-shaped ocarina

Funeral fanfare -- or wake-up call?

Drumming on about the Aztecs...... Aztec music is coming alive in England!

While the Tudors strummed...... the Aztecs beat

Study the carvingson a famous Aztec war drum

Blasts from the past -conch shells!

An unusual ancient Mexican instrumentthat imitates the roar of the wind...

A cremated example of a Mexica‘death whistle’ is (re)discovered...

An appeal to the President of Mexicoto rescue the country’s ancient musical heritage...

We recommend good sourcesfor studying the music of the Aztecs/Mexica

Forerunners of recorded musicfrom ancient Mexico

Comments (19)

Jedidiah

23rd Apr 2024

Are there any specific genres or names of styles the Aztecs called their type of music?

Mexicolore

Yes, at least in relation to song/poem genres. They’re spelt out in John Curl’s article on Aztec Poetry, here -
https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/home/aztec-poetry-1-intro

Ed Mikenas

31st Dec 2023

The “T-Shaped” instrument mentioned in entry #14 looks like a modern day tri-tone Samba whistle. Here’s a link: https://www.google.com/search?q=lp+tri+tone+samba+whistle&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS865US865&oq=LP+samba+shistle&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCggCEAAYCBgNGB4yBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQABgNGIAEMgoIAhAAGAgYDRgeMg0IAxAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMg0IBBAAGIYDGIAEGIoF0gEKMTIwNTZqMGoxNagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Mexicolore

Cheers!

Yoatzin Herrera

2nd Feb 2023

Amazing Website you have, I was just wondering if a lower class person of this era could just play an instrument for fun or was it used for serious reasons, or only high ranking people could use it.

Mexicolore

It would depend on which instrument: sacred drums, for instance, would never be played ‘for fun’ and were reserved for élite musicians who were highly trained. Other instruments such as whistles and ocarinas might well have been played by ‘ordinary folk’ for recreation.

Riv Loveshine

5th Oct 2022

What’s the name of that small “T” shaped instrument seen in the top picture with the black background? It’s above the death whistle.

Mexicolore

As far as we know it doesn’t have a Nahuatl name. It’s mentioned very briefly in Samuel Martí’s classic book ‘Instrumentos musicales precortesianos’ but without a name (unlike the other instruments) - he simply describes it as ‘having an unusual shape’; the original (that he shows a photo of) was found, with other flutes, in a sanctuary dedicated to Tezcatlipoca in Tizatlan, Tlaxcala.

Oscar Peralta

13th May 2018

I wanted to say a big thank you for the information you shared with me regarding the ocarinas. I managed to finish the paper on time and i think it came out pretty good. Without the info you and the Mexicolore website provided, i would have struggled. Again, wanted to let you know that i appreciated your help and time.

Mexicolore

Glad to help. We plan to prepare an entry on ocarinas soon...

Oscar Peralta

8th May 2018

Hello, i am currently writing a research paper on the significance of wind instruments, specifically ocarinas, in Aztec music and society. Would it be possible to have a brief interview via skype or email to ask some questions? Thank you.

Mexicolore

Thanks, Oscar. We should be able to help. We’ll get in direct contact, ask you for a bit more background information on your project, and then try and set something up for you...

K T Ong

14th Sep 2014

One wonders to what extent the piece ‘Montezuma’ by the contemporary group CUSCO actually draws upon mesoamerican musical traditions. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H71-1VDePuM

Mexicolore

Very little! It uses Andean instruments (panpipes) and rhythm (huayño) rather than anything Mesoamerican. Pleasant and fun, but miles away from the Mexica!

Christopher Garcia

3rd Jan 2014

• Why do huehuetls have 3 legs? What is the significance of 3 or the number 3 in Mexica times?
• I understand that according to Stevenson the huehuetl and the teponaztli are dieties banished to earth - do we know what deity they are supposed to be from?
• Why are the legs (usually) in the shape of thunderbolts? What is the significance?
• Why do instruments have different names - e.g. ‘zacatan’ for the Maya, ‘huehuetl’ for the Mexica: a guitar is a guitar no matter what part of the world it is in - considering the ‘pochteca’ (traders) travelled widely throughout the Americas and must have shared and learned different languages it is interesting that these names were never codified.
I have my own theories on all of the above from oral/aural sources from the tamboristas, but I am interested to see what the experts think...
Finally,
• Does anyone have any info on
SAHAGUN’S PSALMODIA CHRISTIANA?

Mexicolore

Many thanks for these great questions, Chris. We hope others will contribute, but meanwhile, we can offer a few pointers:-
• On the ‘three legs’, question, see -
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/ask-experts/why-always-three-hearth-stones
• On the divine origin of sacred drums see -
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/stories/how-music-came-to-the-world
• On the shape of the drum legs, we raised some of the same points a few years ago, here -
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/ask-experts/why-did-they-put-gaps-in-the-upright-drums

Julia

9th Sep 2013

i have only one question...was there a “separation” between men and women regarding the playing of musical instruments? Was there a gender equality? Did women also play musical instruments or only men?

Mexicolore

Julia Flood writes: “The participation of females in the ritual delivery of music is well documented. For example, women playing the parts of goddesses in religious festivals might play an instrument. In one example, the impersonator of the goddess Xilonen played a snake rattle before she was sacrificed. In another, priestesses played gourd drums during the festivity of Huey Tecuilhuitl. Women musicians also performed in courts. Jacques Soustelle tells us of richly dressed women performing ‘mimed songs’, which were dramatic events of dance and song that were acted in front of great leaders...”

Aurora

11th Apr 2012

I’ve been looking for aztec dance music all over and cannot find any! where can i find cds to purchase or download?

Mexicolore

We’ve just added some new ‘Aztec’-style music that’s downloadable from the ‘Tec ANIMATES A PAGE from the Codex Mendoza!’ microsite, and we’ve repaired a faulty download button for the music on Tec’s original Challenges and Puzzles microsite: try our Kids section!

laww

2nd Feb 2012

I recently visited chi chen itza and it was a wonderful experience. Upon visiting they had whistles for sale- jaguars, skulls, turtles. Unfortunately, I was unable to purchase a whistle. Is there any way to find the jaguar whistle online? Please help!

Mexicolore

Not that we know of, I’m afraid! However we ourselves do from time to time source these whistles from Mexico for our schools workshops on the Aztecs here in England. If you write to us directly (and if you’re not in a great hurry!) we may be able to help...

Guenevere

14th Mar 2011

I teach music at a small school in Pennsylvania, USA. My 3rd graders are studying Pre-Columbian cultures and I would like to make instruments with them that are representative Aztec instruments. Do you have any plans for projects like this or do you know where I can find any? Thank you for your fabulous website!!

Mexicolore

We’re working on this excellent idea, but slowly! Try the link given in comment 5 below. Mexican engineer/musician/researcher Roberto Velazquez and we are collaborating in this field, but have nothing prepared yet that we can pass on. But we’ll get there...!

Tomas Filsinger

12th Feb 2011

For a very interesting site that has many original and reconstructions of precolumbian instruments visit www.ixoneztli.com

dakiota

11th May 2010

cool stuff

Missy Stevens

9th Nov 2009

I’m trying to learn more about making clay whistles, esp. ones like the double chamber Peruvian whistles in which one chamber has water, and when it is tipped the water flows into the other chamber and sounds the whistle. Can you direct me to any good sources of instructions? Thanks, I’m enjoying all the info on your site.

Mexicolore

Making whistling jugs is pretty complex and you need prior experience in working with ceramics. A useful contact is a German by the name of Friedemann Schmidt, who researches, makes and sells replicas of pre-Columbian wind instruments from Mesoamerica and South America. His website is -
http://www.terraton.info/workshops.html
Write to him in simple English only (or better in German!)

guadalupe

14th Oct 2009

Gracias por esta pagina y por el contenido. Yo pertenezco a una danza azteca localizada en san jose, Ca y estoy tratando de aprender nahuatl por mi propia cuenta y vaya que es dificil encontrar paginas que contengan buena informacion como esta. La voy a recomendar a mis amistades.

Mexicolore

¡Muchas gracias por este apoyo, Guadalupe! Buena suerte con tu grupo de danza azteca - y con el náhuatl...

Blanca

27th Feb 2009

grasias por tener esta pagina grasias a toda esta informasion boy a poder aser mi projecto sinior project en la high school basado en los aztecas..muchas grasias por tener esta informaion esper y aiga mas para aki demostrarles u poko de nuestra cultura bella de mexico... grasias sinsera mente blanca

Mexicolore

¡De nada, Blanca! Para eso estamos aquí. Buena suerte para tu proyecto...

jean

25th Jan 2009

I bought what I believe to be a clay vessel flute in the shape of a turtle with only front legs,15 holes and magnificent sounds of music. Could this be the type cured underground in fire and ancient? I saw one very similiar on "Antique Road show" and mine has same sound when you hit the outside with your fingernails to prove it is not a modern item?

Mexicolore

Thanks for sharing this with us, Jean. We need to see a picture of this to shed any more light on it. The '15 holes' seems to hint that it isn't a Mesoamerican instrument... If you're in the London area we could meet and share ideas (and sounds!).

steve jones

1st Mar 2008

I found this article very interesting. I love chaconnes, sarabandes, and fandangoes. This makes me curious about Aztec music. Thank you.

Mexicolore

Thanks for writing in, Steve. Glad you enjoyed visiting the site. More and more people are discovering the wealth of musical output from Mexico both before the Spanish Conquest and after it!

Aztec musical instruments