Huehuetl

The huēhuētl [ˈweːweːt͡ɬ] is a percussion instrument from Mexico, used by the Aztecs and other cultures. It is an upright tubular drum made from a wooden body opened at the bottom that stands on three legs cut from its base, with skin stretched over the top. It can be beaten by hand or wood mallet.

Aztec Tlālpanhuēhuētl with Symbols of War, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

Description

This ancient percussion instrument originated from Mesoamerica and was often used by the Aztecs and Tarascan.^[1] The huehuetl were used during festivals such as warrior gatherings. The drum itself is made from hollowed tree trunks and thus, came in different sizes. Carvings of animals, faces or warriors were also often carved into the base of the drum. The skin used for the top of the drum was mainly from ocelots.^[2] Currently, there are still groups of musicians who use huehuetls to perform Aztec music.

Terminology

Terminology[3]			1st Component			2nd Component
English	Nahuatl	IPA	English	Nahuatl	IPA	English	Nahuatl	IPA
drum	huēhuētl	[ˈweːweːt͡ɬ]	old (adjective)	huēhuē	[ˈweːweː]	singular noun suffix	-tl	[t͡ɬ]
medium size drum	panhuēhuētl	[panˈweːweːt͡ɬ]
large drum	tlālpanhuēhuētl	Nahuatl pronunciation: [t͡ɬaːɬpanˈweːweːt͡ɬ] ⓘ	on the ground or throughout the country	tlālpan	[ˈt͡ɬaːɬpan]	drum	huēhuētl	[ˈweːweːt͡ɬ]
war drum	yāōhuēhuētl	[yaːoːˈweːweːt͡ɬ]	war	yāōtl	[ˈjaːoːt͡ɬ]	drum	huēhuētl	[ˈweːweːt͡ɬ]
huēhuētl drummer	huēhuēhuah	[weːˈweːwaʔ]
drumming	tlatzotzonalli	[t͡ɬat͡sot͡soˈnalːi]
to drum	tlatzotzona	[t͡ɬat͡soˈt͡sona]
musical instrument	tlatzotzonalōni	[t͡ɬat͡sot͡sonaˈloːni]

Gallery

• 
  Huēhuētl drawing in an ancient manuscript.
• 
  huēhuētl from page 060 of the Codex Magliabecchi
• 
  Nahua stick drummer

See also

• Teponaztli