Reese's Remix

un silabario sabrosamente sintético... del náhuatl al español

Chalchiuhcuicatl

I heard a Jade Song calling to me: Let me on stage, I need to speak with my husband. 

And so she came.

(The following is an excerpt from Time for Chocolate.)

TECAYEHUATZIN

[...] Yes, time for chocolate! Sustenance for us, as we, in turn, offer sustenance to the gods! Turn after turn after time after time, the cycle of the sun is the cycle of the heart. Blood! Time for blood! Time--ongoing, without cataclysm--in exchange for blood! It is the blood that inebriates the gods and for which they agree that the sun will rise, the rain will fall, the corn will grow, the cacao will blossom. Chocolate: gift of the gods. Blood: chocolate of the gods.

(Enter CHALCHIUHCUICATL house left with a basket of cacao beans. She scoops the beans and lets them run through her fingers as she speaks)

CHALCHIUHCUICATL

Dear husband, I interrupt you. I remind you that we have many expenses, yet the servant says you told him to double the amount of cacao for chocolate. Why is this?

TECAYEHUATZIN

Dear wife, you know my friends are coming. Must the value of friendship be measured in cacao? If so, then there are not enough trees to produce the cacao needed to m...

CHALCHIUHCUICATL

(interrupting)

To measure the value of your friendship. I know this, dear husband. But the xocolatl does not keep like the dry cacao beans do. The chocolate must be drunk when it's prepared.

TECAYEHUATZIN

And that it shall. The gullet of my friend Xayacamach is as prodigious as his flower songs.

CHALCHIUHCUICATL

Would you allow me to grind up so much of our savings for a gathering of my friends?

TECAYEHUATZIN

(considering)

Yes. Preferably if it were to celebrate your friendship with flower song.

CHALCHIUHCUICATL

Not everything is flower song, you know.

TECAYEHUATZIN

No, dear wife, but ask yourself: are gossip and complaint the best for painting friendship?

CHALCHIUHCUICATL

They are only natural.

TECAYEHUATZIN

And flower song is not--it must be learned and crafted, which is why it is the more precious. Flower song is a gift to please our senses, and to enliven the divine spirit. Through flower song we cast light on our condition, on our knowledge that we are here for only a little moment. As you say, dear wife: the chocolate must be drunk when it's prepared.

CHALCHIUHCUICATL

I hope you also told the servant to add only a little mushroom, only a little morning glory.

TECAYEHUATZIN

You know me as you should. Sensuality without debauchery.

CHALCHIUHCUICATL

I know you as I should. I know you wish I were as gifted in flower song as Macuilxochitl.

TECAYEHUATZIN

There you err, my precious song of jade. As you say, not everything is flower song. I do not wish for more than I receive from the divine spirit: this moment, here with you, here with me.

CHALCHIUHCUICATL

(embraces her husband)

I believe you because I so choose.

TECAYEHUATZIN

Do you hear how wise you are?

[...]

O Moleque e a Preguiça

Escrito como se fosse um trecho perdido e achado de Macunaíma (Mário de Andrade, 1928), lá pelo capítulo XII...

Gritando pelas ruas veio um moleque. Veio o moleque berrando, "Vendo preguiça! Preguiça à venda!"

Jiguê, com fome e com raiva, disse pro benjamim: "Vá por ai."

Mas Macunaíma, primoroso, falou, "Vou à procura da pesquisa da preguiça!"

Seguiu o moleque pelas avenidas e pelos bulevares o dia todo. Enfim achou na Rua Lopes Chaves.
Arfando, de mãos nos joelhos, Macunaíma apenas pôde perguntar, "Qual seu nome, rapaz?"

"Mário."

"Como é que é que 'tá vendendo preguiça? Tinha sabido dessa novidade eu também vendia."

"O senhor tem preguiça também? Onde?"

"Onde a sua! Não estou vendo preguiça nenhuma, não!" O herói estava zangado. "Você vem aqui correndo e gritando, e eu seguindo feito arara maluca!" Assim foi a origem da expressão, 'ficar uma arara.'

O moleque pelou dentes de orelha a orelha e indicou pela avenida. "Lá longe ela vem devagar."

Macunaíma espreitou à distância um pequeno vulto pendurado dos fios elétricos. "Essa preguiça nunca vai chegar."

"Isso," disse o Mário. "A preguiça não chega. Ela só é."

"Então quem vai querer comprar preguiça? Nem dá para comer bem."

"Ela é muito produtiva. O senhor não percebeu que a preguiça é essencial para uma civilização tropical como a nossa?"

"Nada disso, molequinho. Essencial só é comer, brincar, dormir. A preguiça até impede."

O Mário deu uma grande gargalhada. "Pois sim! E o único que sabe fazer a preguiça! De tudo isso ela dá lições. Não perca a oportunidade de compra!" E o moleque tinha razão.

"Me dá em 50 cacaus."

"Cacaus?"

"Não foi você que falou em civilização tropical?"

"Então 200."

"O que é isso? 100."

"150. A preguiça não é barata."

"100! Nem um cacau a mais!"

"Então não vendo não. Vou continuar tomando conta da preguiça."

Macunaíma, muito aborrecido, proferiu uma das favoritas de sua coleção de palavras-feias. Fingiu indiferença e se foi embora. Mas escondeu-se detrás de um poste de luz e esperou que o Mário saisse. Depois foi correndo correndo até onde pendurava a preguiça, já com farta fome, e tirou sua zarabatana. "Fácil que nem pescar com cunambi," disse o herói.

Deu na preguiça, preguiça caiu. Mas, deitada na rua, ela não morreu não, ela crescia e crescia até se tornar o Ai-Pódole, Pai das Preguiças. Ficou do tamanho de um prédio, de garras enormes, rabo como um trem, uma preguiça pré-histórica! Agitou o rabo derrubou um bonde cheio de italianos, alemães, japoneses, bolivianos, espanhóis, libaneses, nordestinos e um caboclo todos numa confusão de pernas pro ar no meio da rua.

Macunaíma ficou estarrecido. Berrou pelo moleque, "Mário! Mário! Olha só a maldição que você fez! Grandíssima bobagem sua civilização tropical!"

Mas o Mário lá estava entre a humanidade oceânica. Respondeu, "De jeito nenhum! O senhor robou, agora a preguiça é do senhor!" E o moleque Mário se foi embora pra fazenda de um amigo em Araraquara, se deitar numa rede compor rapsódia.

Macunaíma olhou pro animal descomunal e coçou a cabeça. "Ai, que preguiça!"

No meio do pavor dos transeuntes e o caos vial apareceram Maanape e Jiguê na procura do herói. No entanto o Ai-Pódole comia tranqüilamente as flores do balcão do sétimo andar do Hotel Versailles.

Falou Maanape. "'Ta vendo, irmão? Essa sua preguiça já cresceu demais." E jogou na ponta da garra do Ai-Pódole um pó mágico que preparasse.

O Ai-Pódole, de supetão, encolheu e encolheu e ia se encolhendo até ficar a preguicinha que vendia o moleque. Maanape era feiticeiro. Então recolheu a preguiça da rua e levou pro Ibirapuera.

Falou um italiano, "São Paulo é uma barbaria."

Falou um alemão: "Os brasileiros são bárbaros."

Porém Macunaíma não agüentou e gritou, mãos nas costas, pros paulistas de todas as cores e de todos os tamanhos, "A preguiça é essencial para uma civilização tropical como a nossa!"

A multidão apupou e se dispersou pro banco, mercado, correio, armazém.

Macunaíma ficou zombado. Fez rede da bandeira paulista no balcão do Hotel Versailles, se deitou, e começou a mijar quente nos pedestres lá embaixo.

Jiguê, faminto, foi caçar anta à beira do Tietê. Jiguê era muito bobo mesmo.

Magos, Reyes, Santos

Siempre me asignaban, en las Christmas pageants de antaño, el papel de rey mago. Recuerdo haber llevado una vez una bata elaborada que hizo ad hoc mi mamá, de colores llamativos y diseños esotéricos. Me gustan los reyes magos. Caen bien, aunque un poco pesados también, no tan livianos como los pastores. ¿Santos reyes? ¿Reyes magos? Pero casi nunca "santos reyes magos." ¿Un mago, un rey, y un santo?

Tanto en EUA ("We Three Kings of Orient Are") como en el mundo hispanohablante existe la tradición de sus nombres: Melchor, Baltasar (apodados en México "Malhechor" y "Va a asaltar"), y Gaspar. Pero también existe, en el mundo hispanohablante, la tradición de que Baltasar es africano y monta un elefante (los elefantes africanos, a diferencia de los asiáticos, nunca han sido domados), y los otros dos, vagamente del Medio Oriente, montan un camello y un caballo. Bueno, conste que ni sus nombres ni sus animales aparecen en los evangelios.

En el D.F. sigue la tradición de las fotos con los reyes en La Alameda, claro. Y para los niños de buena fe los reyes traen regalos durante la noche del 5 para el 6 de enero - en vez de las botitas o stockings, es la costumbre en muchos hogares el colocar los zapatos en la puerta, ventana, o chiminea como recipientes de los regalitos - ya no incienso y oro sino juguetes y dulces. Los niños (y papás) más atentos llenan los zapatos de heno para los animales, y dejan también rosca o alguna merienda para los reyes.

La rosca es mi tradición favorita del también llamado Día de Epifanía, fin del maratón festivo "Guadalupe-Reyes." La rosca se parece al kings' cake de Mardi Gras en la costa estadounidense del Golfo de México. Pero hay de roscas a roscas. Muchas, las comunes, están secas y decoradas con frutitas cristalizadas. Otras tienen relleno: crema, mermelada de frambuesa (!!)... Y su consumo se acompaña con chocolate caliente o café. Muy sabido es que todos parten su propia rebanada de la rosca, porque el que encuentre el muñequito (el niño Jesús - a veces se ponen dos o más muñequitos para mayor diversión) se ve obligado a invitar a los demás a comer tamales con atole el día dos de febrero, el Día de la Candelaria, en el que se supone que María y José llevaron a Jesús a presentarlo en el templo.

Minidiálogo de los reyes (continuación de la minipastorela):

Baltasar: ¡Chin! ¡Este elefante se me encabritó!
Melchor: ¿Ya llegamos? Me muero de impaciencia.
Gaspar: El regalo superior es el amor.

Una Rosca de Reyes ejemplar que hizo mi esposa. Tiene nueces y moras.

El cocodrilo cacaotero

A poem to be read from bottom to top. The concept and imagery are based on Maya iconography depicting a crocodile with an upended tail turning into a tree of life, often a cacao tree. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Tall Raspberry Mocha, Please

This drawing is based on Mesoamerican speech scroll iconography, a visual representation of speaking that incorporated flowers, flames, bones, etc. to indicate types of discourse.

The Flower Song Symposium: Intro. and Scene I

The Flower Song Symposium

A Dramatic Dialogue about Art

This play is now available for purchase through

One Act Play Depot

Read an excerpt below!

Among speakers of Nahuatl (the language of the Mexica or Aztecs, along with many dozens of city-state populations based around the Valley of Anahuac in central Mexico), the phrase in xochitl in cuicatl—flower and song—means poetry, covering its range of activities from written composition through musical performance. Sometime in the late fifteenth century, Tecayehuatzin, the lord of Huexotzinco (now a mid-sized city in Puebla state), invited his political and poetical peers to his palace to engage in a conference about the theory and practice of in xochitl in cuicatl, tantamount to discussing the meaning of art. In the Cantares mexicanos collection in the National Library of Mexico, there exists a four-folio text in reference to this symposium, in which it is not always clear if we are reading a fragment of the dialogue, or a summary, or something in between. In my opinion, the text provides a delicate and tantalizing glimpse of a Mesoamerican treatise on aesthetics, part of a philosophical system that would be rigorously suppressed by the Spanish invaders in the sixteenth century and beyond.

In writing this play, my intent has been to breathe life into this historical dialogue (here, scenes VI-VIII of eight scenes), to make it better known by expanding and contextualizing it. I have attempted to accommodate Nahuatl speech patterns (formalized repetitions; couplets such as “face and heart” to mean “personality”) in the dialogue in English. Little is known regarding some of the dialogue participants; about others, we have no record beyond their participation at this encounter. Consequently, I have filled in detail and characterizations as necessary. For example, in some few instances, I have slightly altered age differences among the characters. I have given cameo appearances to three important poets who did not attend the gathering: Macuilxochitl, Nezahualcoyotl, and Nezahualpilli. Nonetheless, the majority of source information comes from the published studies and translations of the renowned scholar of Mesoamerica, Miguel León-Portilla. A brief glossary of terms in Nahuatl follows the text.

CAST

Men

Tecayehuatzin, Lord of Huexotzinco, 40

Cuauhtencoztli, Prince of Huexotzinco, 20

Motenehuatzin, Lord of Tlaxcala, 45

Ayocuan, Lord of Tecamachalco, 30

Monencauhtzin, Prince of Cholula, 25

Aquiauhtzin, Lord of Ayapanco, 35

*Nezahualcoyotl, Lord of Texcoco, 50

*Nezahualpilli, Prince of Texcoco, 15

Xayacamach, Lord of Tizatlan, 40

Women

*Macuilxochitl, Daughter of Tlacaelel, 35

*Xochiyollotl, Daughter of Macuilxochitl, 15

Tlapalteuccitzin, Lady of Amecameca, 50

Palace Servant (male or female)

Chocolate Bearers (4-6 youths, female and male)

*Actors portraying these parts can double as chocolate bearers.

Time: Late afternoon into the night, spring of 1480

Place: The palace garden of Tecayehuatzin in Huexotzinco, central Mexico. On stage, other than various potted plants to represent a garden, are three stone mini-temples, two of smaller sizes on the sides, similar to stone bleachers, and one in the middle large enough for an orator to stand on but no taller than 4 ft. These mini-temples, placed in an arc, are sturdy enough to support hammocks which will be extended between them, one each between the middle structure and the side structures. Backstage left and right have elevated platforms, parallel in height and area, and higher than the middle mini-temple. The house left elevated platform has a chiminea-type stove or brazier, and the house right has a waterfall, actual or simulated. The raised platforms should be dark except when indicated. Beyond them, on the backdrop, is the classic view of the volcanoes Popocatepetl (house left) and Ixtaccihuatl (house right) as seen from Huexotzinco.

Dress: Almost all the characters represent Mesoamerican nobility. The men should wear a maxtlatl (loincloth) and tilmatli (cloak), the latter of rich color and pattern. Optionally, the princes (Cuauhtencoztli, Monencautzin, as well as Nezahualpilli) can appear without cloaks to better mark a difference in age. The women should wear a huipilli (sleeveless tunic) of rich color and pattern, and cuetl (wraparound skirt tied with a sash). Only the servant should wear a plain white tilmatli or huipilli.

Scene I

TECAYE: (seated high on the house right mini-temple steps) Is there word?

SERVANT: (standing) Yes, my liege.

TECAYE: Then give it your breath.

SERVANT: Motenehuatzin will arrive shortly, and Ayocuan draws closer as well.

TECAYE: (laughing) Ah, yes. Even from far afield you must have heard Ayocuan singing. Did you learn his refrain?

SERVANT: (singing) “Let the earth remain! Let the mountains stay!”

TECAYE: Yes, steadfast Ayocuan. Tell me also: have you procured the talking drums?

SERVANT: (speaks) Yes… (sings) Yes, my liege.

TECAYE: Prepare the torches. And, make sure the cacao has been ground. (remembering) Double the usual amount of cacao.

SERVANT: I go, my liege.

(Exit Palace Servant stage left)

TECAYE: Double the usual amount, because among our guests will be Xayacamach! Ah, the face and heart of that Xayacamach: great poet, life of the party, drinks too much xocolatl (extends hands and arms to indicate girth)! But, like the full moon, he seems to hold sway over many, including the prince, my son. My son, Cuauhtencoztli, pesters me to close the calmecac. Eagerly he swoops down upon every chance to tell me that poets and scribes and musicians and dancers and painters and sculptors should be few, and that what few there are should go learn their arts elsewhere, in Tenochtitlan, or Texcoco. He sees the world around him as if through a smoky mirror, he sees not that here in Huexotzinco we have cultivated formidable talent, especially in flower and song.

Plenty of chocolate for Xayacamach. He’ll probably bring his own! Let him drink all the chocolate he wants, he will still help me defend the aim of those who write the red, who write the black, who sing and dance with drum and flute.

(Enter Cuauhtencoztli stage right, running)

CUAUHTEN: I find you, father. Why do you sit here alone? Do you not wish to remember that the new eagle and jaguar warriors are to be celebrated tomorrow eve?

TECAYE: I hear you, my son, and I have heard you speak it so loud and so often that even had I the wits of a lizard, I would remember it. Do I not know that you are to become an eagle warrior? But tell me this: do you remember who is coming to visit this very afternoon?

CUAUHTEN: It’s…(thinking)… it is your clutch of composers, the lovers of flower and song. It will please me to see and hear Xayacamach.

TECAYE: Indeed. Will it please you to see and hear Xayacamach say that in order to honor the new eagle and jaguar warriors tomorrow eve, we need to hear an appropriate flower song composed?

CUAUHTEN: Certainly. Xayacamach himself can compose it, he would do us the honor…

TECAYE: Son, just as we have new warriors, we also have new flower song composers, and they deserve the moment to be celebrated as well.

CUAUHTEN: This appears plain and just, but can they not use a flower, a song, from their repertoire of red and black?

TECAYE: So they will do, as is the custom, but there will also be new with the old. I have already heard the new flower song in the calmecac, and I am much pleased. I anticipate my…what did you call it?…clutch of composers will stay a day or two to participate in the celebration.

CUAUHTEN: This is good and true, father.

TECAYE: Your old nemesis from the sporting contests will be here, too. What is his name… the prince of Cholula?

CUAUHTEN: (dejectedly) Monencauhtzin.

TECAYE: Now, don’t let him get the best of you. You’ve grown, you’re stronger and faster now than when he won that footrace. You need to show more confidence in your abilities, son!

CUAUHTEN: I’ll beat him back to Cholula!

TECAYE: More confidence in your abilities, not just of strength and speed, but also of flower and song. I hear Monencauhtzin has developed a gifted voice among composers.

CUAUHTEN: I’ll let you be the judge of that. For me, these skills fight like fire and water, father. One invigorates the flesh, the other dulls the senses.

TECAYE: I do not think your senses will be dulled by Aquiauhtzin from Ayapanco—he’s built quite a name for himself as a daring composer, ribald, even. And the venerable Tlapalteuccitzin is expected as well, and Motenehuatzin…

CUAUHTEN: If you give me their names with their faces, I will remember them better.