Survivals of Pre-Hispanic Music in New Mexico

Abstract

When the Spaniards arrived in Mexico, early in the sixteenth century, they found high cultures among the Aztecs of the Valley of Mexico and the Mayas of Yucatan. From the vivid accounts of their chroniclers we know that music played an important role in government, civic affairs and religion. At the awesome sacrifices of countless captives before the images of war-gods, thousands of dancers and singers would perform to the accompaniment of percussion instruments, flutes and trumpets. There were the upright, unbraced drum, huehetl, the sacred two-toned wooden slit-drum, teponaztli, bone and stone scrapers, rattles and scraped turtle shells, shell trumpet and tubular trumpets, double, triple and quadruple whistle flutes (the only melodic instruments) and ocarinas of all shapes and sizes. Young people, trained in special schools, were employed by the Aztec priests and nobles to compose music for these occasions and to serve as court musicians. Though the Spanish soldiers and priests who witnessed the Aztec ceremonials were horrified by the brutality and bloodshed (particularly when they saw their own men led to the sacrificial altar) they also reported on the beauty and skill of the musicians and dancers.