VII. Hymn of Mixcoatl.

VII. Mimixcoa icuic.

English

1. Chicomoztoc quinexaqui, çani aueponi, çani, çani, teyomi.

2. Tziuactitlan quinexaqui, çani a aueponi, çani, çani, teyomi.

3. Oya nitemoc, oya nitemoc, aya ica nitemoc notziuaquimiuh, aya ica nitemoc notziuaquimiuh.

4. Oya nitemoc, oya nitemoc, ayayca nitemoc nomatlauacal.

5. Ni quimacui, ni quimacui, yuaya niquimacui, niquimacui, yuanya ayo macuiui.

6. Tlachtli icpacaya, uel incuicaya, quetzalcuxcuxaya, quinanquilia çinteutla, aay.

Var. i. Quinehoaqui. 2. Quineuaqui. 6. Ipac.

Gloss.

1. Q. n., chicomoztoc oniualleuac çani aueponi, ichichimecatlatol, çani aueponi, çani, çani teyomi.

2. Q. n., tziuactli in itlan oniualleuac çani aueponi, çani, çani teyomi.

3. Oya nitemoc, q. n., onitemoc onitlacatl ipan ynotziuacmiuh; onitemoc ipan ynotziuacmiuh ça niman ipan nitlacat ynotlauitol ynomiuh.

4. Q. n., onitemoc onitlacat inipan nomatlauacal ça niman ipan nitlacat.

5. Y yacatlatol. Yc a a inya in chichimeca in chichimecatlatol.

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6. Q. n., yn tlataçica tictecazque totlach uncan ticuicazque noyehuatl in quetzalcocox.

Hymn of Mixcoatl.

1. I come forth from Chicomoztoc, only to you, my friends, to you, honored ones.

2. I come forth from Tziuactitlan, only to you my friends, only to you honored ones.

3. I sought, I sought, in all directions I sought with my pack; in all directions I sought with my pack.

4. I sought, I sought, in all directions I sought with my traveling net.

5. I took them in hand, I took them in hand; yes, I took them in hand; yes, I took them in hand.

6. In the ball ground I sang well and strong, like to the quetzal bird; I answered back to the god.

Notes.

"The Chichimecs," says Sahagun (Hist., Lib. VI., cap. 7), "worshipped only one god, called Mixcoatl." The Anales de Cuauhtitlan speaks of Mixcoatl as one of the leaders of the ancient Nahuas from their primitive home Chicomoztoc, the land of the Seven Caves. This is what is referred to in the above hymn. In later times Mixcoatl became god of hunting and of the tornado, and his worship extended to the Otomis.

Tzihuactitlan, "the land of the tzihuac bushes," I have not found mentioned by any of the Spanish authorities, but it is named in connection with Chicomoztoc in an ancient war-song given in my Ancient Nahuatl Poetry, pp. 88 and 140.

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The hymn appears to be in memory of the leadership of Mixcoatl in conducting the ancestors of the Nahua on their long wanderings after leaving their pristine seats. It should be read in connection with the earlier pages of the Annals of Cuauhtitlan.

The reduplicated form of the name, Mimixcoatl, is not found elsewhere, and appears to be a poetic license.