| Abstract: | The Nahuatl song-poems, in xochitl in cuicatl (flower song), have been interpreted by modern scholars as a unique expression of Nahuatl aesthetics and world view. Some songs discuss the origin and functions of song-poetry and of the poet, and they often deal with the ephemerality of human life. Because of these metaphysical characteristics, the Nahuatl songs, particularly those attributed to the Texcocan king Nezahualcoyotl (1402–1472), have been presented frequently as expressions of beauty and peace, which is in clear contrast to the Spanish image of the Mexicas as a warlike and bloodthirsty people who practiced human sacrifice. |
