Rig Veda Americanus / Sacred Songs of the Ancient Mexicans, With a Gloss in Nahuatl

by Unknown

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.]

Vitzilopuchtli	Huitzilopochtli,
Can maceualli	Only a subject,
Can tlacatl catca.	Only a mortal was.
Naualli	A magician,
Tetzauitl	A terror,
Atlacacemelle	A stirrer of strife,
Teixcuepani	A deceiver,
Quiyocoyani in yaoyotl	A maker of war,
Yautecani	An arranger of battles,
Yautlatoani;	A lord of battles;
Ca itechpa mitoaya	And of him it was said
Tepan quitlaza	That he hurled
In xiuhcoatl	[His flaming serpent],
Immamalhuaztli	[His fire stick];
Quitoznequi yaoyotl	Which means war,
Teoatl tlachinolli.	Blood and burning;
Auh iniquac ilhuiq’xtililoya	And when his festival was celebrated,
Malmicouaya	[Captives were slain],
Tlaaltilmicoaya	Washed slaves were slain,
Tealtilaya impochteca.	The merchants washed them.
Auh inic mochichiuaya:	[And thus he was arrayed:]
Xiuhtotonacoche catca	With head-dress of green feathers,
Xiuhcoanauale	Holding his serpent torch,
Xiuhtlalpile	Girded with a belt,
Matacaxe	Bracelets upon his arms,
Tzitzile	[Wearing 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.

[II. Uitznaoac yautl icuic.]

1. [Ahuia tlacochcalco notequioa ayayui nocaquia tlacatl, ya nechyapinauia, ayaca nomati, nitetzauiztli, auia, ayaca nomati niya, yautla, aquitoloc tlacochcalco notequioa, iuexcatlatoa ay nopilchan.]
2. [Ihiya quetl tocuilechcatl quauiquemitl nepapan oc uitzetla.]
3. [Huia oholopa telipuchtla, yuiyoc yn nomalli, ye nimauia, ye nimauia, yuiyoc yn nomalli.]
4. [Huia uitznauac telepochtla yuiyoc, yn nomalli, ye nimauia, ye nimauia yuiyoc, ynomalli.]
5. [Huia ytzicotla telipochtla, yuiyoc, yn nomalli, ye nimauia, ye nimauia, yuiyoc yn nomalli.]
6. [Uitznauac teuaqui, machiyotla tetemoya, ahuia oyatonac, yahuia oyatonac, machiyotla tetemoya.]
7. [Tocuilitla teuaqui, machiyotla tetemoya, ahuia oyatonac, yahuia oyatonac uia, machiyotla tetemoya.]