Song I — Beginning of Songs (Cuicapeuhcayotl)
The Cantares Mexicanos ("Songs of the Mexicans") is a manuscript of ninety-one Aztec songs preserved in the Biblioteca Nacional de México, copied in the late sixteenth century during the early colonial period. These are the xochicuicatl — flower songs — performed at ceremonial dances, alongside war songs, memorial songs, and ritual hymns. They are the largest surviving corpus of Classical Nahuatl poetry, and among the most beautiful sacred texts of the Americas.
Song I opens the manuscript. Its Nahuatl title, Cuicapeuhcayotl, means the Beginning of Songs — the very first breath of the collection. A singer consults his heart: where shall he find fragrant flowers? A hummingbird leads him to the Flower Land, where he gathers blossoms to bring back to the lords of the earth. He sings before the Lord of the Near and Nigh. He weeps on this earth and longs for the place where one truly lives. He calls a friend to the drum. He grieves for the noble dead.
This translation covers all sections of Song I (folios 1r–3r of the manuscript), the complete poem in five movements. Nahuatl source text accessed from the UNAM TEMOA digital platform (temoa.iib.unam.mx), CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Translated directly from Classical Nahuatl by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
Sections 1–7
I spoke to my heart:
where shall I find the good fragrant flower?
Who shall I ask?
Perhaps I will ask the quetzal hummingbird,
the jade hummingbird.
Perhaps she lives here now.
Already I hear her flower song —
the mountain echoes it back.
Perhaps near where the turquoise water springs.
I was crying out in longing:
"Let me bring you joy, my beloveds!"
Then at once they alighted —
then the quetzal hummingbird came flying.
In the wooded hills,
in the Land of Sustenance, in the Flower Land,
they led me in.
There dew and sunrays spread all around.
There I saw:
many precious fragrant flowers, precious sweet-scented flowers,
draped in dewdrops,
wrapped in a mist of rainbow light.
And there they told me:
"Go cut the flowers — whichever you desire.
Let them come forth truly, you the singer.
Hand them to our friends, to the lords,
who will take their delight in this world."
And I gathered them —
the many fragrant flowers,
those that truly warm the heart,
those that truly bring joy.
I was saying: "Perhaps someone will come with us.
Carry many, carry many well."
Yet I have arrived; I will speak before our friends:
"Here you will always cut for us
precious, many fragrant flowers,
and bring the many good new songs —
with these you will bring delight
to our friends, to the people of the earth,
to the children of the eagle and jaguar."
I have said it all, I the singer.
With this I adorn the children with flowers,
I raise up a good song
with which the children are honored
before the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
And the one who has no merit —
where will he take, where will he see the fragrant flower?
Will he reach with us the Flower Land, the Land of Sustenance?
The one without merit,
who sorrowed, who did wrong on this earth —
the Lord of the Near and Nigh will earn it for him.
Here on this earth my heart weeps.
I remember: I looked toward that Flower Land,
I the singer.
And I was saying:
perhaps this earth is not the good place —
perhaps it is somewhere else that one goes,
where true happiness is found.
What are we doing here in vain?
Perhaps elsewhere one truly lives.
Let me go to Ximoayan —
let me go sing there with them,
the precious many-colored birds.
Let me find my happiness there —
the good flower, the fragrant flower,
the one that warms the heart
and simply inebriates with joy,
that simply, joyfully, inebriates.
Sections 8–18
I entered — I the singer — into the many Flower Lands,
the truly joy-giving, truly delighting places.
There the dewdrops and sunrays pour down all around.
There the many precious birds sing,
there the bellbird scatters song —
their voices fill the air,
they bring joy to the Lord of the Near and Nigh,
to him who is God.
ohuaya ohuaya
There I heard the root of song — I the singer.
Perhaps it did not begin here on this earth,
this good and beautiful song.
Perhaps from within the heavens it descends —
when the precious bellbird raises it up
for the divine roseate spoonbills, the golden birds.
There, perhaps, the Lord of the Near and Nigh is well praised.
ohuaya ohuaya
My heart opens wide when I hear it — I the singer.
My memory rises up,
it spreads shimmering across the heavens.
Longing goes out as wind.
Where the golden hummingbird
proclaims it within the heavens —
there is where it comes forth.
ohuaya ohuaya
I make my heart look out everywhere.
Perhaps it is true — the precious bird
does not raise up everything.
Perhaps that heart within the heavens surpasses it —
the heart of the Lord of the Near and Nigh,
what he is making.
If my memory does not turn to dust,
perhaps the wonder will truly be seen to come forth —
that which brings joy in the heavens,
that which makes the precious birds of heaven rejoice
before the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
How shall I not weep here on this earth?
Perhaps there is a place to live somewhere —
I am deceiving myself.
I say: perhaps it is only this much
that exists here on this earth,
where our souls reach their end.
Lord of the Near and Nigh, rise up!
Let me go sing with them there in heaven.
My heart rises up —
I look toward where you dwell,
near you, beside you,
Giver of Life.
ohuaya ohuaya
Hear my song, my friend!
I beat the flower drum,
I raise up the heavenly song
with which I bring joy to the lords.
My heart blossoms like flowers —
like the popcorn flower it scatters,
weaving my song
before the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
[Another at the same tone — a plain song]
Into the House of Flowers I came — I the singer.
There stands the jade drum.
There the Giver of Life is awaited,
the lords.
Flowers scatter and spread all around,
at the tips of the reeds, at Xoyacaltitlan —
the flower-copal incense offering spreads its fragrance.
It truly warms the heart,
it joyfully inebriates our hearts
before the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
With this the song spreads open —
with fragrant flowers it joyfully inebriates our hearts.
We no longer know ourselves
in the midst of all these flower songs
with which we give complete peace to the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
Why do you not yet long for it, my friend?
Come, stand at my drum.
Drape yourself with many flowers.
Place the jade pine-orchid upon your head.
Raise up the good and beautiful song
to bring joy to the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
What is it that you are remembering?
Where indeed does your heart dwell?
You have been spreading your heart in all directions,
leading it here and there,
you have been losing your heart on this earth —
it seems you have been wandering in the dark.
Come back!
Hear the good and beautiful song.
Let your heart rest
in the flower water spreading all around.
There I raised up the good and beautiful song — I the singer —
to bring joy to the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
Look here, my friend —
there where the flower drum stands,
blazing with sunrays spreading all around,
cooled by a quetzal breeze,
spreading deep green and luminous.
There one awaits, there one is honored —
the mat and seat of the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
Leave behind the cloud vessel.
Come back.
Raise up the beautiful song with us,
I the singer, to bring joy to the Lord,
until dawn comes within the house of your heart.
For what purpose do I grieve?
For what do I sing in sorrow?
It is that I remember them —
the noble children, the precious jewels,
their divine turquoise brilliance,
those quetzal birds
who came to fame, who came to glory
here on this earth.
Even now.
(Mexica otoncuicatl — Mexico-Otomí Song)
Their renown spreads,
the song they leave behind —
where will it be made true?
We only came as mortals to this earth.
Indeed there is our true home,
where Ximoayan is,
there in the living place
that never ends.
(Otro mexicatl tlamelauhcacuicayotl — Another Mexico-Plain Song)
I was spreading the jade-sunray glow,
carrying it borne on tzinitzan birds.
I remember the root of songs.
I adorned with saffron gold
the good and beautiful song — I the singer —
mingled with precious jade,
and with this I bring forth the flowering,
I bring joy to the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
Adorned with golden precious feathers,
tzinitzan, scarlet spoonbill —
I carry my revered song with care,
like golden bells.
I am the toz-plume bird
singing, spreading song everywhere.
I raise it up in the scattering of flowers
before the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
The good root of song —
by the golden trumpet I raise it,
the heavenly song I bring forth from my lips —
I the toz-plume bird.
With jade sunrays I cause it to bloom,
the good and beautiful song.
I raise it with the flower-copal offering,
and in this I rejoice — I the singer —
before the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
The divine spoonbills answer me — I the singer.
In the good and beautiful song
it rings like a coyol bell,
gleaming like a jeweled mat.
Jade-quetzal sunrays spread green —
the springtime flower-song spreads joy through heaven,
the flower-copal offering blazes,
misty sunrays spreading —
in the midst of flower dew I came singing — I the singer —
before the Lord of the Near and Nigh.
I hold it boldly and weave in many flowers
in the good and beautiful song,
gleaming like a jeweled mat.
Jade-quetzal sunrays spread green —
the springtime flower-song spreads joy through heaven,
the flower-copal offering blazes,
misty sunrays spreading —
in the midst of flower dew I came singing — I the singer.
I was honoring it, rejoicing —
the flower that warms the heart,
in the song, in the aromatic smoke.
My heart now rests.
I came trembling with joy.
I breathe in the fragrance —
my soul is overcome with joy.
I breathe in
the good flower-place, the place of being made joyful.
My soul is drunk with flowers.
Colophon
The Cantares Mexicanos is a sixteenth-century manuscript of ninety-one songs in Classical Nahuatl, preserved in the Biblioteca Nacional de México (UNAM). It is the largest surviving corpus of pre-Columbian and early colonial Nahua poetry — flower songs, war songs, memorial songs, and ritual hymns composed and sung at ceremonial dances. Song I, Cuicapeuhcayotl, opens the manuscript: a singer's journey to the Flower Land, his meditation on earth, merit, and the joy of song.
This translation covers all five movements of Song I across three sessions: Sections 1–7 (folios 1r–1v), Sections 8–18 (folios 2r–2v), and the concluding Movements IV–V (folio 3r, the Mexica-Otomí song and the Mexico-Plain song). The Nahuatl text was read directly from the UNAM TEMOA digital platform (temoa.iib.unam.mx), which provides a transcription of the manuscript under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. The English was derived from Classical Nahuatl, consulting Alonso de Molina's Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana (1571) and Frances Karttunen's Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl for lexical verification. No existing English translation of the Cantares Mexicanos was used as source or guide; the English is independently derived.
Note on folio 3r transcription: Several words in the UNAM TEMOA transcription carry embedded footnote markers from the critical edition (appearing as Roman numerals mid-word). These markers have been removed from the source text below. One phrase in Movement IV (yn oca[xlv]pa in yolihuayan, footnote 45 embedded mid-phrase) has a minor textual uncertainty; it has been translated from context as "there in the living place."
Note on Section 8: the phrase yehuan Dios ("he who is God") is a colonial interpolation by the sixteenth-century scribe, identifying Tloque Nahuaque with the Christian deity. It has been translated as written — the colonial layer is part of the manuscript's history. Footnote reference markers embedded in the TEMOA transcription have been removed from the source text below.
Translated from Classical Nahuatl and compiled for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: Cuicapeuhcayotl — Sections 1–7
Classical Nahuatl source text from the Cantares Mexicanos manuscript, Biblioteca Nacional de México. Transcription accessed via the UNAM TEMOA digital platform (temoa.iib.unam.mx), CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above. Footnote markers from the scholarly edition removed.
Ninoyolnonotza, campa nicuiz yectli ahuiacaxochitl? ac nictlatlaniz? manoço yehuatl nictlatlani in quetzalhuitzitziltzin, in chalchiuhhuitzitzicatzin.
Tlacaço nican nemi; ye nicaqui in ixochicuicatzin iuhquin tepetl quinnahnanquilia, tlacahço itlan in meya quetzalatl.
Nic ihtoaya nitlaocoltzatzia ma namechelleltih ytlaçohuane niman cactimotlalique niman huallato in quetzalhuitzitziltzin.
Tepeitic Tonacatlalpa Xochitlalpa nechcalaquiqueo oncan onahuachtotonameyotimani oncan niquittac aya in nepapan tlaçoahuiac xochitl tlaçohuelic xochitl ahahuachquequentoc ayauhcoçamalotonameyotimani. Oncan nechilhuia xixochitetequi in catlehuatl toconnequiz ma melel quiça in ticuicani tiquinmacataciz in tocnihuan in teteuctin in quelelquixtizque in Tlalticpaque.
Auh nicnocuecuexantia in nepapan ahuiac xochitl in huel teyolquima in huel tetlamachti nic yhtoaya manoço aca tohuantihualcalaquini ma cenca miec in ticmamani auh ca tel ye onimatico nitlanonotztahciz imixpan in tocnihuan nican mochipa tiqualtetequizque in tlaçonepapan ahuiac xochitl yhuan ticuiquihui in nepapan yectli yancuicatl ic tiquimellelquixtizque in tocnihuan in tlalticpac tlaca in tepilhuan quauhtliya ocelotl.
Ca moch nicuito ya in nicuicani ic niquimicpaxochiti in tepilhuan inic niquimahpan in çan inmac niquinten niman niquehuaya yectli ya cuicatl ic netimalolo in tepilhuan ixpan in Tloque in Nahuaque. Auh in ahtley ymahcehuallo can quicuiz can quittaz in huelic xochitl auh cuix nohuan aciz aya in Xochitlalpan in Tonacatlalpan yn ahtley ymahcehuallo in nentlamati in tlaytlacohua in tlalticpac ca çan quitemahcehualtia in Tloque in Nahuaque in tlalticpac ye nican ic chocan noyollo noconilnamiqui a in ompa onitlachiato y Xochitlalpan a nicuicani.
Auh nic yhtoaya tlacaço amo qualcan in tlalticpac ye nican, tlacaço oc cecni in huilohuayan, in oncan ca in netlamachtilli, tle çan nen in tlalticpac tlacahço oc cecni yoliliz Ximoayan ma ompa niauh, ma ompa inhuan noncuicati in nepapan tlaçototome ma ompa nicnotlamachti yectli ya xochitl ahuiacaxochitl in teyolquima in çan tepacca teahuiacayhuintia in çan tepaccaauiacayhuintia.
Source Text: Cuicapeuhcayotl — Sections 8–18
Classical Nahuatl source text from folios 2r–2v of the Cantares Mexicanos manuscript. Transcription accessed via the UNAM TEMOA digital platform (temoa.iib.unam.mx), CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Footnote markers removed.
Onihualcalac nicuicani nepapan Xochitlalpan huel teellelquixtican tetlamachtican oncan ahuachtonameyoquiauhtimani oncan cuicuica in nepapan tlaçototome oncuicatlaça in coyoltototl cahuantimani in intozquitzin in quellelquixtia in Tloque in Nahuaque yehuan Dios ohuaya ohuaya
Oncan nicaqui in cuicanelhuayotl in nicuicani tlacahço ahmo quin tlalticpac inpeuh yectli yan cuicatl tlacaço ompa in ilhuicatlytic hualcaquizti in conehua in tlaçocoyoltototl in quimehuilia in nepapan teoquecholme çaquantototl oncan tlacahço quiyectenehua in Tloque in Nahuaque ohuaya ohuaya
Niyolpoxahua in nicaquia nicuicani ahcoquiça in notlalnamiquiliz o quinpepetlatiquiça in ilhuicame nelcicihuiliz ehecayotiuh iniqui nalquixtia in ompa ontlatenehua in çaquanhuitzitzil in ilhuicatlitic ohuaya ohuaya
Auh nohuiampa nictlachialtia in noyollo auh tlacaço nelli in amo ixquich quehua in tlaçotototl tlacaço ye oc tlapanahuia in ilhuicatlitic yyollo in Tloque in Nahuaque mochiuhtica ca in tlacamo teuhyotiuh in notlalnamiquiliz aço huel quinalquixticayttaz o in tlamahuiçolli in ilhuicac ic papaqui in ilhuicac tlaçototome ixpan in Tloque Nahuaque ohuaya etcetera
Quenin ahnichocaz in tlalticpac ye nican tlacahço onca nemoayan ninoztlacahuia nic ytoa aço çan ye ixquich in nican in tlalticpac ontlamian toyolia macuele ehuatl in Tloque in Nahuaque ma ompa inhuan nimitznocuicatili in ilhuicac mochanecahuanca noyollo ehua ompa nontlachia in monahuac in motloc tIpalnemohuani ohuaya ohuaya
Maxicaquin nocuic in tinocniuh xochihuehuetl y' nictzotzona ya ylhuicacuicatl in nic ehuaya ic niquinmelelquixtia in teteucti xochicueponi in noyollo izquixochitl nic tzetzelohuaya ic malitjuh in nocuicatzin ixpan in Tloque in Nahuaque ohuaya etcetera
[Occe al mismo tono tlamelauhcayotl — Another at the same tone, a plain song]
Xochicalco nihualcalaquia in nicuicani oncan ycac in chalchiuhuehuetl oncan chialon Ipalnemohuani in teteuctin xochitl tzetzeliuhtimani tolquatectitla Xoyacaltitlan onahuiaxtimani in xochicopaltlenamactli huel teyol quima cahuiacayhuintia in toyollo ixpan in Tloque in Nahuaque
Yc motomacuic xochiahuiacayhuinti in toyollo aoc ticmatl ynic nepapan xochicuicatl ic ticcehcemeltia in Tloque Nahuaque quen ahtontlaelehuian tinocniuh ma nohuehuetitlan ximoquetzaya nepapan xochitl ic ximapanaya chalchiuhocoxochitl mocpac xicmanaya xic ehuayan yectli yan cuicatl ic melelquixtia in Tloque in Nahuaque
Tleyn mach tiquilnamiqui a can mach in nemian moyollo yc timoyolcecenmanaya ahuicpa tichuica timoyolpopoloaya in tlalticpac ca mach titlatiuh xihualmocuepaya xiccaquin yectli yan cuicatl ximoyolciahuaya xochiaticaya onahuiaxtimani oncan nic ehuaya in yectli yan cuicatl nicuicani ic nic ellelquixtia in Tloque in Nahuaque
Xihuallachian tinocniuh yn oncan yhcayan xochihuehuetl tonameyo ontotonauhtimani quetzalehcacehuazticaya onxopaleuhtimani in oncan ic chialo ic malhuilo in ipetl yn icpal in Tloque in Nahuaque xiccahua ya in mixtecomatla xihualmocuepaya tohuan xic ehuaxli in yan cuicatl nicuicani ic niquelelquixtia in Tloque in tlaneciz inyc moyollocaltitlan
Tle canen in nicyocoya in nitlaocolcuica inic niquimilnamiqui in tepilhuan in tlaçomaquiztin intlaçoteoxiuhmex in quetzaltotome in moteyotico in motleyotico in tlalticpac yn ocnoma
Source Text: Movements IV–V (Folio 3r)
Classical Nahuatl source text from folio 3r of the Cantares Mexicanos manuscript. Transcription accessed via the UNAM TEMOA digital platform (temoa.iib.unam.mx), CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Footnote markers from the scholarly edition removed.
(Mexica otoncuicatl — Mexico-Otomí Song)
caquizti in intenyo in incahuanca campa neltiazque Ca çan titlacatico ca ompa huel tochan in canin Ximoayan yn ocapa in yolihuayan aic tlamian
(Otro mexicatl tlamelauhcacuicayotl — Another Mexico-Plain Song)
Nicchalchiuhtonameyopetlahuaya nictzinitzcanihuicalo aya niquilnamiquia nelhuayocuicatla nicçaquanhuipanaya yectli yan cuicatl nicuicani nicchalchiuhtlaçonenelo ic nichualnextia in xochicueponallotl ic nic elelquixtia in Tloque in Nahuaque
Çaquantlaçoihuiticaya tzinitzcan tlauhquechol ic nicyaymatia nocuicatzin teocuitlatzitzilin in nocuic nitozmiahuatototl non cuica cahuantimania nic ehual ya xochitzetzelolpan ixpan in Tloque Nahuaque
Qualli cuicanelhuayotl o teocuitlaquiquizcopa nic ehuaya ilhuicac cuicatl onic tenquixtia nitozmiahuatototl chalchiuhtonameyotica niccueponaltia yectli yan cuicatl nic ehuaya xochitlenamaquilizticaya ic nitlaahuialia nicuicani ixpan in Tloque Nahuaque
Teoquecholme nechnananquilia in nicuicani coyolihcahuacaya yectli ya cuicatlan cozcapetlaticaya chachalchiuhquetzalitztonameyo xopaleuhtimani a xopanxochicuicatl onilhuicaahuiaxtimani xochitlenamactli onmilintimani onayauhtonameyotimani o xochiahuachtitlan nihualcuicaya nicuicani ixpan in Tloque Nahuaque
Nictlapalihmatia nicxoxochineloaya yectli yan cuicatlan cozcapetlaticaya chachalchiuhquetzalitztonameyo xopaleuhtimania xopanxochicuicatl onilhuicaahuiaxtimani o xochitlenamactli onmilintimani onayauhtonameyotimanio xochiahuachtitlan nihualcuicaya nicuicani
Nocontimaloaya nocontlamachtiao xochiteyolquima cuicatlan poyomapoctli ic ye auian ye noyollo nihualyolcuecuechahuaya nic ihnecuia ahuiaca xocomiqui in noyolia nic yhnecuia yectli ya xochitla netlamachtiloyan xochi ye ihuinti noyolia
Source Colophon
Source text from the Cantares Mexicanos manuscript, Biblioteca Nacional de México, sixteenth century. Transcription accessed via the UNAM TEMOA digital platform (temoa.iib.unam.mx). The manuscript transcription is made available by the Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliográficas, UNAM, under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. Reproduced for non-commercial archival use under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Critical edition: Miguel León-Portilla et al., Cantares Mexicanos, 3 vols. (México: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México / Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas, 2011). Individual song PDFs freely accessible at historicas.unam.mx/publicaciones/publicadigital/libros/cantares/ — note that the PDFs are scanned images, not OCR text; the TEMOA platform provides the accessible transcription.
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