music of the ancient aztecs

Music was a significant part of the Aztec way of life. Everyone took part in dances performed especially for the gods, including peasants. Aztec children between ages 12 and 15 were taught to dance, sing, and play musical instruments.

Music of the Ancient Aztecs

The Aztec people were renowned for designing some ingenious percussion instruments.The Ayotl, for example, was made of a tortoise shell. A pair of prongs was placed on the belly side of the shell and these were struck with portions of antlers to make sound. The Omichicauaztli, on the other hand, was made from the bones of deer and played by scraping the larger bones with smaller bones.

Aztec Percussion Instruments

Music In Aztec Society

Much of the known Aztec musical tradition can be classified as sacred hymns.Such works honoured the divine right of a ruler and important gods such as Ometeotl, Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca, and the music-god, Huitzilopochtli.These hymns would be used to ask the gods for rain or success in battle, or to thank the gods for their gifts. These songs could be sung at special occasions, accompanied by special ritual dances.

The Religious Obsession

The poetic and symbolic nature of the Nahuatl language and writing systems was certainly carried over into their music. Each place, each god, each thing would often have multiple names. For example, "where the smoke of shields diffuses" and "flowers of the heart upon the plain" could have a variety of possible meanings.But if one knows that both phrases are speaking about battle, it is easy to see the clever poetry in each phrase.

"Sounds of the Aztec Empire"

"Each lord had in his house a chapel with composer-singers of dances and songs, and these were thought to be ingenious in knowing how to compose the songs in their manner of meter and the couplets that they had. Ordinarily they sang and danced in the principal festivities that were every twenty days, and also on other less principal occasions..."-Geronimo de Mendietadescribing Aztec life

Unique Qualities of Aztec Music

The Aztec people also had specialized wind instruments with which they created their unique music.Trumpet-like instruments such as the Atecocoli, were made of a large perforated conch.Tepuzquiquiztli was made of copper or very large gourds and the Quiquiztli was made of a smaller conch shell.Flutes were also popular in Aztec music, including the Chichitli whistle flute and the Cocoloctli, which was a flute that made a special buzzing sound.

Aztec Wind Instruments

DID YOU KNOW?Some musical instruments were said to be holy and mistakes were thought to be an offense to the gods.