Folktales of the Nahua: A Journey to Tlalocan

By Craig Kodros, Lisa Lethin and Paul Heller

Swim underwater to meet the Queen of the Fish. Follow a kernel of corn as it transforms into a gentleman and rides away on a horse. Fly to the faraway land of Tlalocan where frogs grind corn to make tortillas and years are measured in days.

The traditional voices of the Mexican people can be heard through their folklore and legends. Folktales of the Nahua presents a collection of tales from traditional Nahua villages located deep in the highlands of central Mexico.

Each folktale, or cuento, in this book reveals a world of mystery, intrigue, and ancient knowledge. These stories include ancient beliefs in a world called Tlalocan, the mythical paradise of the Aztec rain god Tlaloc. Some are tales of near-death journeys to Tlalocan and a return to the world of the living. Other stories reflect an indigenous North American origin, including tales of the Coyote and the trickster Rabbit. Still other tales originated in Europe and have been integrated into the oral tradition of Mexico.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Apr 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781483447704

Book preview

Folktales of the Nahua

A Journey to Tlalocan

CRAIG KODROS, LISA LETHIN, AND PAUL HELLER

Copyright © 2016 Craig Kodros, Lisa Lethin, Paul Heller.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

Photographs by Craig Kodros

ISBN: 978-1-4834-4771-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-4770-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016903631

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 04/13/2016

Contents

Preface

Introduction

The Lightnings

The Story of Corn

The Three Corn Seeds

The Achihuanime

The Tlalocanca

The Hunter and the Snake Woman

Blanca Flor

The Flood

The Coyote and the Rabbit

The Coyote and the Possum

The Ceremonial Dances

Conclusion

Glossary of Terms

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

This book is dedicated to the next seven generations of the Nahua people.

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Nahua women at the market

Preface

The purpose of this book is to bring some of the deep insights of the Nahua people into our collective knowledge. By publishing the folk stories we heard during our visits to Nahua villages in Puebla, Mexico, in the 1970’s, we share knowledge that has been passed on through oral traditions and festival ceremonies for countless generations. As in many parts of the world, economic and cultural modernization is endangering this tradition. As the younger generation accepts these changes, the old ways are at risk of losing their significance. Just as indigenous people gladly exchange a heavy clay water jug for an unbreakable plastic version, the practice of storytelling is being altered by standardized education, cell phones, and an Internet connection. The folktales and myths we collected have roots in both indigenous and European traditions, often interweaving the two. As we listened to the storytellers years ago, we found ourselves entranced as their world view was revealed to us. May you hear their voices live on as you read these pages.

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The old ways blending with the new

Introduction

Late one night after a long bus ride winding into the deep canyons and mountains of the Sierra Norte of Puebla, we arrived at the end of the paved road. We stepped off the bus and into the traditional world of the Nahua. Fog drifted down the hillside plaza as two barefoot women in native dress hurried into the night on their way home. We had arrived in Cuetzalan, a small coffee town bordering the traditional lands and villages of the Nahua and Totonac peoples. The next day we walked on stone paths to two traditional villages nearby. We met men weaving paper into elaborate headdresses for dance festivals, and we met women weaving delicate shawls on backstrap looms.

Like the headpiece of a woven headdress, Cuetzalan sits in the center of a network of villages. Founded In the late 19th century, it is a Victorian town with steep cobblestone streets. It lies in the Sierra Norte de Puebla, a mountainous area in the Northeast of the state of Puebla, Mexico. The land in this region is fertile and has been cleared in many places to plant coffee, a crop Italian immigrants brought here in the 1890’s. Beyond these cultivated areas, the tropical forests and deep river canyons have discouraged outside encroachment over the centuries. Orchids and birds-of-paradise thrive as wild expressions of life. Largely isolated, the people have maintained elements of their indigenous identity, while accepting some aspects of the outside culture. It was not uncommon for people we met on the paths to ask us if we were from México as if Mexico City were a different country.

With its humid climate and abudant foliage, the Sierra Norte is reminiscent of Tlalocan, the paradise of the Aztec rain god Tlaloc. Tlalocan, the afterlife home for those who died from drowning or lightning, is still mentioned in Nahua myths and beliefs. When we would ask exactly where Tlalocan was, the response was that it was a little farther away, much like a rainbow that one can never reach. Caves, extensive in the region, were described as portals to Tlalocan. The stories in this book spring from this lush, entrancing area where myths live in the hearts and minds of the indigenous people. The people we met considered themselves Christian, yet their beliefs and myths incorporated many elements dating from before the Conquest.

The people of the Sierra are made up of two distinct groups, the Nahua and the Totonac. The two cultures have lived in proximity for hundreds of years and share many traditions. The markets and festivals are a blend of both groups, each proud of their ancient heritage. Prior to the Conquest from Spain, the region fell under the control of the Aztec Empire to whom tribute was paid in feathers from the quetzal bird. The Nahua people live in a small distinct area bordering a larger Totonac region, much like a colony left over from Aztec times.

We collected the stories in this book in the Nahua village of San Miguel Tzinacapan, which lies east of the larger town of Cuetzalan. We also interviewed residents of the nearby village of San Andrés Tzicuilan. The local economy depends heavily on coffee supplemented by subsistence farming and indigenous crafts such as woven fabrics, wood carvings, and string baskets.

The area’s geographic remoteness has helped keep elements of the indigenous Nahua culture alive. Decades ago, Tzinacapan was accessible only by a dirt road and an ancient stone footpath, both originating in the larger town of Cuetzalan. The people of the village speak the traditional language, Nahuatl, which they refer to as Nahuat or mexicano. Spanish is spoken as a second language by most men as well as by younger women. Women’s dress is similar to the attire of Aztec times: the distinctive headdress of purple yarn and a quechquemitl, a triangular embroidered shawl. The ancient Mesoamerican beliefs have been incorporated into the newer religion of Christianity. The Nahua refer to the Virgin of Guadalupe as Tonantzin (Our Revered Mother), the name of the Aztec earth mother goddess. John the Baptist, associated with water, stands in for Tlaloc.

Most of the storytellers we interviewed are no longer living. As we read these stories once again, we relive the experience of hearing the voices of those storytellers. We are transported back to simple homes where we sat on small pieces of logs serving as stools as the storytellers’ voices mesmerized us. Sounds often filled the background: grunting pigs, gobbling turkeys, and crying babies, accompanied by the clapping rhythm of hands making tortillas.

We have intentionally refrained from overanalyzing the rich motifs and layers of meaning found in these stories. Instead, we have included our personal experiences in the Sierra Norte via journal excerpts and some explanatory notes. We would like the stories to speak directly to you as they do to us. We hope you enjoy the journey into the land of the emerald mountains of Tlalocan. May the stories touch your heart and awaken your own indigenous nature.

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A weaver working at her backstrap loom

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A village couple proudly wearing Nahua traditional dress

Journal: The Journey Begins

This afternoon we took a hike to San Miguel Tzinacapan, almost an hour’s walk northeast of Cuetzalan. We took the old Aztec highway—a wide cobblestone path that meanders through the tropical forest. Some people we met on the way were open and cheerful. Others kept their eyes to the ground and muttered greetings under their breath, more out of obligation than warmth.

We had decided to go to Tzinacapan to see a village musician named Don Mariano whom we had met last year. Having only been to his home once, we hiked intuitively to the right place. As we approached the top of a hill, a skinny old woman came out to greet us with a beaming sparsely-toothed smile. She and I recognized each other as she had tried to sell me some gourd rattles the day before in the market. I kept saying Mercado (market), and she kept repeating Quema (yes in Nahuatl). She was Don Mariano’s mother and directed us to his house, next door and down the hill.

Don Mariano recognized