Glossary

Words (tlatolli) that are in common use among various Aztec/Mexican spiritual communities, as well those that find use in our community. Words in Nahuatl, Spanish, English, and Yukatek Maya are included.

A work in progress!

Acatl (n.) Reed. Also the name of a day sign.

Ahuialia (v.) To offer incense, to cense/cleanse something with incense smoke.

Ahuaque (pl.) Deities associated with water.

Atl (n.) Water.

Atolli (n.) A beverage made from water and maize flour and seasoned with sugar and spices. Can also be made with milk or non-dairy milk.

Brujeria (n.) A type of folk magic found throughout Latin America. More usually associated with amoral or malefic magic, sorcery, and witchcraft. A practitioner of brujeria is called a bruja/o/e.

Calli (n.) House. Also the name of a day sign.

Calpulli (n.) Literally, "big house". A small subdivision of a neighborhood or district of Tenochtitlan; also the modern term used for a Mexican spirituality/philosophy learning group or Danza Azteca group, usually led by one or more elders. (See also, chantli.)

Cempazuchitl (n.) The marigold flower, a symbol of fire and associated with death.

Cintli (n.) Maize.

Cipactli (n.) Crocodile; also the name of the crocodilian primordial Who was sacrificed by Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca in order to create the world.

Chantli (n.) Another word for house. It is the term preferred by this community to refer to itself, as we are a worship-focused group of peers. (See also, teochantli.)

Coatl (n.) Snake/serpent. Also the name for a day sign.

Cozcacuauhtli (n.) Vulture (literally "bearded eagle".) Also the name for a day sign.

Cuauhtli (n.) Eagle. Also the name for a day sign.

Cuetzpallin (n.) Lizard. Also the name for a day sign.

Curanderismo (n.) A type of Latin American folk magic that has more positive connotations than brujeria, as its focus typically lies with healing and herbalist remedies. A practitioner of curanderismo is called a curandera/o/e.

Ehecatl (n.) The name of the Wind God, but can also refer to wind itself. Also the name for a day sign.

Ihiyotl (n.) One of the three vital essences or "souls" in Mexica thought. The ihiyotl is thought to reside in the liver as a seat of the emotions and passions, and is related to wind, breath, and "bad airs". Our community views the ihiyotl as a kind of "shadow" side, as a source of creativity and divine breath. Also thought to manifest as "corpse lights".

Itzcuintli (n.) Dog, or more specifically, the Xoloitzcuintli breed. Dogs are seen as companions and guides in the afterlife, and were historically eaten for their meat as well. Also the name for a day sign.

Limpia (n.) A traditional form of cleansing in curanderismo that uses a chicken egg.

Malinalli (n.) Grass. Also the name of a day sign.

Mazatl (n.) Deer. Also the name of a day sign.

Miquitztil (n.) Death. Also the name of a day sign.

Nahual (n.) nahualmeh (pl.) A "spirit-double" or "co-essence". Closely related to the three souls, the nahual usually comes in the form of an animal, object, or natural phenomenon. Both Gods and humans have nahualmeh, and some Gods are actually the nahual of other Gods (Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl, for example). A human's nahual typically resides within their bodies until the moment of death, but witches, brujas, and others who are spiritually adept can train their nahualmeh to leave the body and travel to other places.

Ollin (n.) Movement, or sometimes earthquake. As the name of the current 5th Sun, it is an important symbol associated with Mexica cosmology. Also the name of a day sign. (See also, sun.)

Ozomatli (n.) Monkey. Also the name of a day sign.

Popoxcomitl (n.) A traditional incense burner, usually ladle- or goblet-shaped. To be used with charcoal and tears of copal incense. Also called an incensario, copalera, sahumador, or tlemaitl.

Quiahuitl (n.) Rain. Also the name of a day sign.

Sun (n.) In English, the word sun refers to not only the celestial object, but also the designation for an age of creation. We are currently living in the 5th Sun, with the God Tonatiuh responsible for driving the sun across the sky and sustaining life with his light and warmth. (See also, tonalli.)

Tlalli (n.) Earth, in the sense of soil, the ground, and the physical firmament. 

Tlalticpac (n.) Of the world, on the earth, the mortal plane. Though it is constructed as an adjective, it is used as a noun.

Tecpatl (n.) Sacrificial flint knife. Also the name of a day sign.

Teyolia (n.) One of the three vital essences or "souls" in Mexica thought, which resides in the heart and in the blood. It houses a person's core identity, emotions, and moral compass, and stays with them until the moment of death. Non-human animate beings also possess teyolia, including animals, mountains, and bodies of water. While one's teyolia can not be parted from them without killing them, it can be damaged or influenced by one's deeds or by sorcery. In tonalpohualli readings, the teyolia is associated with a sacred bird (yollototol), whose beating wings are said to be the source of the heartbeat. The teyolia of warriors, sacrificial victims, and mothers who die in childbirth eventually return to earth as their yollotototl or as butterflies.

Tochtli (n.) Rabbit. Also the name of a day sign.

Tonalli (n.) Day, or the sun. Also one of the three vital essences or "souls" in Mexica thought: the tonalli is located in the head and hair of a person and ties them most directly with the fate associated with their day sign, and is the source of consciousness, intelligence, and character. Tonalli may also refer to one's fate more broadly or day sign itself. The tonalli was not confined to a person at birth, though, and could be shared, given freely, or taken, as in when a captive was taken in war and led by the hair. (See also: ihiyotl, nahual, sun, teyolia.)

Xochitl (n.) xochimeh (pl.) Flower. Xochitl refers to flowers in general, but is also a common and potent symbol of the brevity and fragility of life. It may also be a metaphor for the spirits of the dead. Also the name of a day sign.