The 33 best Nahuatl riddles (with solutions)

This pre-Columbian culture from the area of present-day Mexico left us some very curious riddles.

There are a great variety of languages all over the world.. All of them are the product of the cultural heritage of one or more peoples, possessing different structures and ways of functioning that vary greatly among themselves.

Unfortunately, this linguistic wealth has deteriorated over time and many ancient languages have been lost. However, others others have managed to survive, as is the case of Nahuatl, which comes from pre-Columbian times.which comes from pre-Columbian times (although the dialect has probably changed greatly with respect to the Mayan era.

• We recommend: "12 great poems in Nahuatl (translation and meaning)".

What is Nahuatl?

Nahuatl is a living language, although it is not as well known, used and expanded as other languages.. And as with many other languages, a method that can help to acquire vocabulary and fluency is the use of songs, popular sayings and riddles.

It is about the latter that this document is about, along which we are going to visualize 33 riddles in Nahuatl in order to train our imaginative and reasoning capacity while expressing some elements of cultural character.

A brief collection of riddles in Nahuatl

Here we leave you with a total of 33 riddles in Nahuatl along with their approximate translation.through which we can see elements that are part of the heritage, idiosyncrasy and popular knowledge of the descendants of pre-Columbian peoples (although many of them are from modern times).

We can observe that many of them have verbal forms that remind us that we are in front of a riddle

1. Za zan tleino Tepetozcatl quitoca momamatlaxcalotiuh Papalotl

"Through the valley, colorful, she flutters, clapping her hands as if she was pouring tortillas".

This brief composition refers to butterflies, colorful animals of great beauty.

2. Uñijximeajts ajtsaj ximbas salñuwindxey makiejp op saltsankan makiejp ñity

"Of leaf wrapped and tied with palm is my disguise. In my body of dough my heart of meat you will find."

A typical Mesoamerican food of great flavor, the tamale is the answer to this riddle.

3. se: mosa:sa:ni:ltsi:n íh kípia i:tlah xkípia i:kamak, niman tzoneh.

"This is one of your fortune tellers. It has teeth, it has no mouth, suddenly it's hairy."

The corn cob is the answer to this riddle, which identifies the kernels with teeth and the fact of becoming hairy with the state the cob is left in when eaten.

4. Natyek umbas ñikands umeajts nanbyur ulük nangan mi kej

"A feast you'll feast... Green outside you'll see me and black teeth inside you'll find. From my red heart sweet Blood you will eat, will you guess?"

The answer to this riddle is a very refreshing fruit: watermelon.

5. Wa na'atun na'ateche' na'at le ba'ala': Jump'éel ts'ool wukp'éel u jool.

"Guess, guess: Seven holes, one pumpkin."

A riddle that refers to the part of our anatomy where our brain is housed: the head. The holes in question correspond to the two ears, the two nostrils, the mouth and the eye sockets.

6. Sa:sa:ni:l! -Te:ntetl! Se: totla:tla:tla:katsi:n nonemi:tia ista:ktsi:n, nowe:ilia xoxo:hke, wan miki chi:chi:ltik.

"Riddle!-Bocón! A little man who is born white, grows green and dies red."

This riddle refers to chili, a vegetable with great popularity in South America and highly spicy.

7. Zazan tleino, icuitlaxcol quihuilana, tepetozcatl quitoca. Aca quittaz tozazaniltzin, tla ca nenca huitzmalot

"What goes through a valley and carries the guts dragging".

Although it may be complicated to imagine at first glance, the answer is the needle when sewing, as it drags the thread (its "guts") with it.

8. Maaske mas titlaakatl yes pero mitschooktis.

"No matter how much of a man you are, it's going to make you cry."

This simple riddle, which also lets us see the vision of concepts such as manhood, refers to the onion.

9. Se: tosa:sa:ne:ne:l, se: tosa:sa:ne:l ipan se: kuhtli, tlekowa se: totla:tla:katsi:n ika itambori:tah.

"A riddle, a riddle. Up a tree climbs a little man with his little drum."

On this occasion, we are talking about an insect that carries with it an element that reminds us of a drum, or its house: we are talking about a snail.

10. Se: tosa:sa:ne:ne:l, se: tosa:sa:ne:l ipan se: lo:mah we:yak, ika ontlami ompakah o:me yeyekako:ntli.

"A riddle, a riddle, a riddle. On a long hill over there, where it ends there are two caves where air comes out".

Although quite visual, this riddle is based on the description of a nose.

11. Mimixtlamotsi, mimixtlamotsi, itik se tekorral nitotitok se kichkonetl.

"Behind a stone fence there is a child dancing."

If we think that the stone fence is our teeth, it will be easy to see that this riddle refers to the tongue.

12. Se: tosa:sa:ne:ne:l, se: tosa:sa:ne:l mokwitlapan weyákia, moyekapan tso:liwi.

"A riddle, a riddle. At your back it lengthens, at your front it shortens."

The answer to this riddle is the road: as we follow it we leave more and more behind us and shorten the distance to our destination. In a symbolic way it could also represent life.

13. See tosaasaanil, see tosaasaanil. Maaske mas tikasisneki xkeeman tikasis

"No matter how much you try and try you will never be able to touch it, but behind you you will always see it walking".

This riddle refers to something that always follows us wherever we go, our shadow.

14. Se: tosa:sa:ne:ne:l, se: tosa:sa:ne:l se: totla:tla:katsi:n ma:sta xtiknekis ipan ticholo:s, ipan ticholotinemis.

"A riddle, a riddle, a riddle. A little man, that for all you don't want to step on him, you'll be stepping on him."

In this case the correct answer is the earth, since we are always (or rather almost always) in contact with the ground.

15. Se: tosa:sa:ne:ne:l, se: tosa:sa:ne:l ipan se: lo:mah tikontas ye wa:hlaw se: chichi tli:ltik, oksepa tikontas yo:pano:k okse: lo:mah, wan xkimati siawi itlase:ka:wihlo moxtli.

"A riddle, a riddle. On the hill you see that a black dog is already coming, again you see it and it has already passed to another hill; it never gets tired."

The answer to this somewhat complex riddle is the shadow of a cloud.

16. Awijchiw xik tyiel ndyuk sajrrok tyiel yow atajtüw xik tyiel ndxup sawüñ ütyiw ñipilan.

"So that to the people their food I may give in a chiquihuite I must dance, after launching myself and plunging into the sea."

The food in question obviously being fish, one must think of an instrument that is thrown overboard and can be kept in a basket. The answer is the atarray, ray or other types of nets.

17. Zazan tleino, xoxouhqui xicaltzintli, momochitl ontemi. Aca qittaz tozazaniltzin, tla ca nenca ilhuicatl

"What is a blue jícara, sown with roasted corn, which is called momochtli (something like popcorn)?"

A curious riddle that refers to the night sky, full of stars.

18. Ni cayúnini ma'cutiip i ni cazi'ni ma' cayuuna ' ni guiqu iiñenila ma'qué zuuyani.

"Guess, guess. He who makes it, makes it singing. He who buys it, buys it crying. He who wears it, is no longer spotting it."

This otherwise unpleasant riddle reflects how important the concept of death is for many Mesoamerican peoples. The riddle refers to a coffin or coffin.

19. Mo apachtsontsajka mitskixtiliya uan axke tikita?

"He takes off your hat and you don't see it - what is it?"

Short riddle whose solution is the wind.

20. Zazan tleino quetzalcomoctzin quetzalli conmantica

"Guess riddle: gray hairs have up to the tip and some green quetzal feathers."

The onion is the answer to this riddle, with its whitish color except for the outer, greenish layers.

21. Zazan tleino aco cuitlaiaoalli mouiuixoa

"Round at the top and pot-bellied besides, I shake myself and go shouting so that you can dance."

This riddle has as its solution a simple musical instrument but very used in multitudinous festivities such as Carnival. We are talking about maracas.

22. Se: tosa:sa:ne:l, se: tosa:sa:ne:l. Se: lamatsi:n san ika se: itlantsi:n, kintsatilia je:ntes.

"A riddle, a riddle, a riddle: a little old lady, who with one little tooth shouts to the people."

The little old lady in question is a metallic instrument that tolls to tell us the time or to announce some important event. It is the bell.

23. Ñity ayaküw ximal xiel ayaküw xi lyej sanguoch atyily tyety nüty tyiel ximeajts axojtüw ñipilan

"My mind is covered with palm. My feet are made of wood. In me people rest, because I stop the sun's rays."

This is an enramada, a kind of natural shed that is made by intertwining tree branches.

24. Chak u paach, sak u ts'u'

"Of colored skin, inside bleached."

The riddle refers to radishes, with reddish rind and white interior.

25. Lipan se tlakomoli, westok waan nokweptok, para oksee lado.

"To the invited food, even if it is of plate and spoon."

In both Central and South America it is common that one of the most common foods that accompany all or almost all meals are corn tortillas, as essential in the daily diet as bread is in most of Europe.

26. Zazan tleino, tezahuilama tlallan tlacuacua.

"What thing and thing a monstrous old woman, under the ground, who goes about eating and gnawing?"

The answer to this riddle is a creature capable of living underground and seeming to gnaw as it digs. It is the mole.

Wi'ij tu jalk'esa'al, na'aj tu jáala'al.

"Hungry they are carrying it. Repleta la traen la traen cargando".

The riddle in question tells us about a jar or bucket, which they look for them to be full and when they take them away it is to refill them.

28. Zazan tleino, cuatzocoltzin mictlan ommati. Aca quittaz tozazaniltzin, tla ca nenca nenca apilolli, ic atlacuihua

"Stick chanter who knows the region of the dead."

The answer is a water pitcher, probably in reference to the pre-Columbian tradition of throwing corpses into cenotes.

29. Tiá:s ipan kujioh wehka tikne:xti:s se: kujtli pia:stik tlakwa:tipan ye:watok se: wi:lo:tl, tli:non? beli:tah

"You will go into a forest, and far away you will find a straight tree, on its head sits a huilota, what is it?"

It is nothing more nor less than a candle. The tree would be the wax while the hulilota (a type of bird) represents the flame.

30. Tu laame, tu laame dé chemená pa m e dooxqui'me.

"Guess guesser who on his back carries guts that you even see them?"

This is not an obvious riddle, but refers to shrimp, whose insides can be glimpsed when raw.

31. Za zan tleino, Excampa ticalaqui zan cecni tiquiza.

"Guess it if you know: naked you enter through three places, clothed through one you leave."

A simple riddle that refers to a shirt: the three places are the holes for the head and arms.

32. See tosaasaanil, see tosaasaanil. Tias üpan see tepeetl iitlakotian tepeetl tikoneextis san see pozo.

"Will you guess? In the middle of the hill a single well you will find yourself."

This riddle is based on a part of our body. Specifically, it refers to the navel a "well" in the middle of our belly.

33. See tosaasaanil, see tosaasaanil. Maaske mas tikitasneki xwel tikitas.

"No matter how much you want and try you can never look at it although without any effort you can always touch it."

This last riddle points us to a part of our body that we cannot visualize normally because it is on our face: the forehead.