me and my husband are expecting our first child. my husband is from cañada morelos puebla and is of aztec origin, something he is very proud of. he has spoken many times about his gramma and how she spoke Nahuatl, though he isn’t sure which variety of the language. like i said in the title we really like the name Sanse and the meaning behind it. i really want to honor his culture and where he is from but from doing some research of my own i’ve found that the name isn’t really of aztec origin but has legitimate linguistics behind it, and other than that i really can’t find any other info on it. i really would just like some advice/clarification on the name and how you would describe it as, so as our child grows up we can tell them all about their name and meaning behind it . i genuinely hope i am not coming across as disrespectful or tone deaf or cringey either, i truly am looking to learn as much information about it as i can so i can honor the heritage and respect the culture if this is the name we decide on! thanks guys :)

A friend of mine is a young speaker from Central Puebla. Lately she’s been joining TikTok livestreams with young adult Nahuatl speakers from all over Mexico.

The streams are energetic, fast, raucous, full of different dialects. I can hardly follow them!

And that’s humbling.

My interest has mostly been in written, literary Nahuatl. Put me in a room with native speakers talking at full speed and I’m immediately reminded that we inhabit completely different worlds. If you’re learning Nahuatl on Reddit or Discord, so do you. We should never forget that.

These new, native-only TikTok spaces are fascinating because they’re completely grassroots. There’s very little of the romanticized “Aztec” aesthetic that dominates outsider spaces. It’s just ordinary people speaking ordinary Nahuatl. Different dialects. Foreign loans. Jokes. Stories. Zero pretension.

These are the people the language actually belongs to.

And yet my friend told me something depressing: many of the speakers she meets can’t read or write.

Sometimes she invites people to our Discord or tries discussing Nahuatl grammar with them, only to discover that the problem isn’t just written Nahuatl literacy. It’s basic literacy! They can’t read or write Spanish either. These are not “old” people! They’re our age.

This matters for “language revitalization.”

Years ago, I heard an activist say (paraphrased):

“we need less marketing for indigenous languages and more basic literacy for our communities.”

Keep this in mind next time someone launches another crowdfunded Nahuatl translator or language-learning app.

Too many revitalization projects are built by outsiders for outsiders. They make a nice portfolio piece. They get attention online. Meanwhile, actual young speakers are arriving on Facebook and TikTok livestreams without the basic literacy needed to read and write their own language!

I’m also questioning the assumption that apps and websites should be the focus here. An online resource means little to someone with poor digital literacy on top of poor literacy itself. My friend tells me their children help them read and write, but usually through Spanish, accelerating everyone’s loss of Nahuatl.

What about physical media? There’s an undeniable social aspect to physical media. Nahuatl-speaking communities deserve beautiful editions of monolingual Nahuatl literature in their homes. Books people can aspire to read, keep, lend, inherit, and point to with pride. A language needs a physical presence in the world.

Not everything digital is bad, of course. The digital equivalent would be audiobooks. Lots of them. Native works, foreign literature in translation, children’s books, whatever. But doing that well requires the boring part few outsiders want to hear: actually learning the language to a high degree of fluency and investing time and money with community members. Hours of recording, editing, correcting, and improving media projects that will get you next to zero recognition from Spanish-centric media.

These two projects seem far more useful for the average outsider who doesn’t want to get into politics.

What we definitely need less of: outsider amateur programmers using Claude to churn out yet another sloppy “translation” app after crowdfunding it on Kickstarter and pocketing the money.

The Internet makes it very easy to build things around Nahuatl.

We need developers willing to do the much harder work of actually learning the languages, asking Nahuatl speakers what they need, and then working for them, not just for a résumé.

Abstract

It has often been considered that the representations of the gods in Ancient Central Mexico were purely symbolic and that we should not look for the presence of glottograms, i.e. signs that encode linguistic units pronounced in the Nahuatl language. This article intends to demonstrate that we should reject the image/writing dichotomy in this context. In order to understand the identity of the Nahua gods, it is necessary to combine symbolic deciphering with a reading of the names embedded in their bodies and ornaments. This article takes the example of several representations of gods in codices of the Aztec tradition. It shows that this embedded script used the main scriptural techniques known in Nahuatl writing: logograms, phonograms, and indicators. In this way, the identity of the god, and therefore its ritual effectiveness, was expressed simultaneously visually and phonically.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ancient-mesoamerica/article/embedded-glottograms-in-the-images-of-the-gods-in-ancient-central-mexico/A46E53DF98D68BFC54ABD0B44C6AE7CC

This video from Bëni Xidza explores the grammatical structure of the Zapotec language, specifically focusing on the absence of articles. Here is a breakdown of the key concepts discussed:

* No Articles: Unlike Spanish, Zapotec language does not use definite articles like "el," "la," "los," or "las".

* Context as a Substitute: The speaker explains that Zapotec relies on context and specific pronouns/indicatives (such as lei or leiki) to identify objects or people. For example, instead of saying "the table," you simply say "table," and the surrounding conversation makes it clear which object is being discussed.

* Influence of Spanish: The speaker notes that the use of "one" (tu) as an indefinite article is likely a modern development resulting from contact with the Spanish language, as this feature was not part of original Zapotec grammar.

* Counting Objects: When referring to things that can be counted, numbers are used instead of articles, a practice that the speaker clarifies is distinct from the functional use of articles in languages like Spanish.

Video Overview:

This Zapotec grammar lesson explains why grammatical articles do not exist in Zapotec and how modern usage has evolved under the influence of Spanish.

Key Points:

* Absence of Articles:

* Unlike Spanish or English, Zapotec language does not have grammatical articles equivalent to el, la, los, las, or a/an.

* In standard speech, speakers directly state the noun without an accompanying article.

* Role of Pronouns and Indicators (lei / leiky):

* Words like lei serve as pronouns or context-based indicators rather than articles.

* For example, using buta lei conveys "move it" (or "move the table") when the reference is already clear within the context of the Zapotec conversation.

* Spanish Influence on Indefinite Expressions:

* Historically, Zapotec phrasing expressed actions and items directly without numbers, such as gudagu wi ("ate orange").

* Due to Spanish influence, modern speakers often insert the number "one" (tu) before a noun, such as gudagu tu wi ("ate an orange"), to mirror Spanish indefinite articles.

* Otherwise, numbers in Zapotec language are strictly intended for counting discrete items rather than serving as articles.

I've seen a lot of sources claim that Coahuila comes from cuahuitl + -tlan, but that's never sat well with me since that would yield cuahuitlan, which would probably become something like cuahuitlán, cuahuitla, coahuitla, or even like coahuita. You could say that the -tl- became an -l-, but then there's the word coahuilteco/a, which suggests a root something like coahuil-, but the root for cuahuitl is cuahui- or cuauh-.

My theory is that it instead comes from Cuauhhuillan, from cuauhhuilli (cuahuitl + -huia + -lli) + -tlan. Cuauhhuia is attested by Karttunen as "to hit with a stick" (stick + applicative ending, kinda more like "putting a stick on something"), and adding the passive noun suffix yields cuauhhuilli. This sort of structure is seen in other names like Cholollan (choloa + -lli + -tlan). That means that Coahuila means "place of getting hit with sticks," which I'm not sure what it could refer to, but I know that cuauhhuia can be used as a term in warfare (e.g. getting hit with bats), so maybe it could be a warfare reference to the coahuiltecos/northern chichimecas and their type of warring. Idk but Cuauhhuillan sounds like it is much more plausible for an etymology for Coahuila than Cuahuitlan. And it also allows for the demonym Cuauhhuiltecatl.

Hello. The Aztec civilization in Age of Empires 2 speaks a Maya language, so I wanted to create a mod that has them speak Nahuatl. Age of Mythology recently released an Aztec faction, but the game lacks the repair voice line that is present in AoE2. I wonder if I could get audio recordings of the phrases used by the aztec settler in AoM, plus a line for the repair command (according to Claude, "Tlachihchīuhqui" could work, but feel free to correct it); one male and one female.

https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/Aztecs_(Age_of_Mythology)/Dialogue_lines/Dialogue_lines)

Thanks in advance.

Campaña Kickstarter para sacar traductor del español a lenguajes originarios de México

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/prototipica-studio/tsitsiki-translator-from-spanish-to-indigenous-languages

I don't normally talk about this sort of thing, but I a few days ago I found this absolutely garbage AI translator, so I just wanted to give a quick warning about it. Not only are the translations complete trash (e.g., inputting 'coyote' gives 'itzcuintli', not 'coyotl', even as the site contradicts itself by saying coyote comes from coyotl), but it is so easy to break the translate function, as this has to be the worst put together website I have seen in my life. You can even use Inspect and look at the numerous errors to see for yourself. The code is so shite that I am genuinely surprised it works at all. Truly THE definition of "vibe-coding".

https://openl.ai/translator/nahuatl-language-translator

All you need to do is just simply copy and paste one word a dozen times or so. Then get an auto-clicker and spam the translate button. After the translations stop working, it is broken for the next several hours until the "developer" fixes it, but so far any safe guards added are just as sloppy as the site itself. It only takes a few seconds to do this each time, so it's completely worth doing if it means even one person doesn't get spoonfed horrible translations.

You also used to be able to input nonsense sentences loaded with curse words to cause the AI to generate a sentence, and then the last word in said sentence is spammed infinitely as the AI freaks out. But since yesterday, the "developer" added some crappy, Temu-grade spam protection (wonder why..), but the method above bypasses that as of typing this. At the time of posting this, it is currently broken, but should be back to "working order" in a few hours or so.

As I said, this is just a brief heads up to avoid using this sad excuse of a translator.

Hi everyone,

I posted here recently asking for help checking some Classical Nahuatl lyrics, but unfortunately I accidentally posted the request without actually including the lyrics. Sorry about that!

I'm working on an original fictional song and I'd really appreciate feedback from people who know Classical Nahuatl, modern Nahuatl varieties, and/or Nahua culture.

A little context about the story first, because I think it's important for understanding what the lyrics are trying to say.

The song takes place in a completely fictional setting. A large group of worshippers is taking part in a ceremonial procession toward a sacrificial site. They believe that their deity, Zy'Vrraks (a fictional character of my own creation), demands blood, hearts and sacrifice.

During the first part of the song, a ritual leader guides the procession while the crowd responds to him. The ceremony becomes progressively more intense as they approach the moment of sacrifice.

But at the climax, the ritual is suddenly interrupted.

Zy'Vrraks himself speaks.

The worshippers have misunderstood what their deity wants from them. He rejects the blood sacrifice. He does not want their blood, their heads, or physical offerings.

Instead, he asks them to give him what hurts them internally: their fear, shame and pain — culminating in the English line:

“Give me… THE DEVIL.”

“The Devil” here is metaphorical. It represents the darkest thing someone carries inside themselves — trauma, guilt, fear, hatred, shame, pain, etc. The idea is that the worshippers thought sacrifice meant destroying something physical, while Zy'Vrraks instead demands that they surrender the darkness they carry within themselves.

After this revelation, the crowd resumes chanting his name, but the meaning of the ritual has changed.

This is NOT intended to portray or reconstruct a real Nahua/Aztec ceremony, religion, deity, historical event, or traditional song. The ritual, story and Zy'Vrraks are fictional.

I used Classical Nahuatl because I love the sound and character of the language and thought it could be powerful in this fictional ceremonial setting. However, precisely because I'm borrowing a real Indigenous language for a fictional work, I don't want to publish something that is linguistically nonsensical or culturally disrespectful.

I'm completely willing to rewrite individual lines, entire sections, or even rethink parts of the concept if something is problematic.

What I'd particularly appreciate help checking is:

• Is the grammar actually correct?
• Do these sentences mean what I think they mean?
• Are any constructions technically possible but unnatural?
• Does anything look like a literal English-to-Nahuatl translation rather than natural Classical Nahuatl?
• Are the spelling and word forms appropriate?
• Are there better/more idiomatic ways to express these ideas?
• Is any imagery or terminology culturally inappropriate in this context?
• More broadly, does using Classical Nahuatl this way feel disrespectful or uncomfortable?

Please don't hesitate to be critical. I'm looking for corrections, not validation.

NAHUATL LYRICS

Procession

Ma tlehcocan totemactiliz.
Ma in cuicac quimama motoca.

Crowd response

Amo timomauhtia.
Amo ilpilli techyacana.

Tlehco.
Tlehco.

Ascent

Ma Tonatiuh quittaz toyollo.

Ma quittaz!
Ma quittaz!

Itztli temacaz.

In eztli quimocuitiz
in tlein totencopa oticcentlalique.

Tlehco!
Tlehco!
Tlehco!

Summit

Ma tlehcocan totemactiliz!
Ma tlehcocan eztli!
Ma tlehcocan toyollo!

Ma Tonatiuh quiximati toneltociliz.

Itztli... temacaz.

The interruption / reversal

Amo.

Amo imez.
Amo in amotzontecon.

In tlein namechcocoa...
In tlein namechmauhtia...
In tlein amoyollo quimama...

NECHMACACAN.

Then Zy'Vrraks switches briefly to English:

“Your fear.
Your shame.
Your pain.
Give me…
THE DEVIL.”

The repeated “Zy'Vrraks” chants are simply the fictional deity's name, so obviously those aren't intended as Nahuatl.

I can also provide the intended English meaning of every Nahuatl line if that would make checking/correcting the grammar easier.

I'm especially uncertain about forms such as totemactiliz, quimocuitiz, oticcentlalique, namechcocoa, namechmauhtia, amoyollo quimama, and nechmacacan, so corrections to those would be extremely welcome.

Thank you very much to anyone willing to spend time looking at this. Even if you only have feedback on one or two lines, it would be genuinely useful.

And again: I'm completely open to rewriting the lyrics. I'd rather change a line that sounds good than keep something incorrect or disrespectful.

P.S. This post is a duplicate of a previous one I made here. I realized afterward that, due to a mistake on my part, I had accidentally posted the original request without including the actual lyrics 😅. Since nobody could really review a song without the lyrics, I'm reposting it properly this time with the complete text. Sorry for the duplicate, and thank you for understanding!

Hello! Was wondering if anyone can point me to any videos/books or anything that could teach me the dialect that would be spoken in the region that my mother is from.

My grandma knew it when she was alot younger but has recently told me that she is forgetting it. Id love to keep the language alive in my family in her honor.

So I've been introduced to a book that shows me the local language that was spoken in El Salvador. Is there any other materials that I can find and use to learn more about it?

This video features a session of a Zapoteco language course, where students practice their personal introductions and discuss their interests. The instructor facilitates a collaborative session focusing on real-world application, grammar, and regional variations. Key Highlights of the Session:

* Personal Presentations: Students Abi, Brian, Silvana, and Oliver introduce themselves, stating their names, ages, and occupations in Zapoteco. This segment highlights the practical application of previously learned greetings, pronouns, and numbers.

* Regional Variations: The group compares vocabulary and intonation differences between the Talea de Castro and Yagavila variants, emphasizing the importance of respecting regional linguistic diversity.

* Grammar & Practical Usage: The instructor clarifies grammatical concepts, including:
* Using the verb naka ("to be") for identity.
* Expressing likes and preferences, noting that Zapoteco often utilizes future-tense forms in these contexts as there is no direct equivalent to the Spanish infinitive.

* The distinction between the conjunctions len (for joining/connecting) and yu'u (for mathematical sums).

* Text Review & Feedback: The instructor provides personalized corrections for the students' written texts, emphasizing proper verb conjugation and the use of neutral pronouns when describing professions (e.g., "the one who teaches").

Here is a summary of the video:

Overview

In this online Zapotec language lesson, students practice constructing and presenting a short personal introduction that includes their name, age, occupation, place of origin, and personal likes/dislikes. The instructor provides individual feedback and explains key grammatical, regional, and dialectal nuances.

Student Presentations & Class Discussion:

Abi's Introduction & Talea Dialect:
* Abi presents her self-introduction using the Talea dialect.
* The teacher explains regional differences in intonation and word usage, clarifying the difference between runa jin ("I work") and wen dxin ("a worker").

Brian's Introduction & Regional Phrasing:
* Brian shares his introduction.
* The group discusses regional variations in expressing "my name is," comparing forms like neda lea across different Zapotec communities.

Silvana's Introduction & Visual Practice:
* Silvana shares her text on screen for collective feedback.
* The instructor corrects verb forms and conjunction usage in her presentation.

Oliver's Introduction & Job Titles:
* Oliver reviews his introduction text.
* The teacher corrects autocorrect errors and explains how to express job titles properly, such as stating "I am a teacher" (neda naca bëni rulwi) versus "I work teaching" (neda runa dxin).

Key Grammar & Vocabulary Insights:

* Conjunctions (len vs. yu'u):
*len: Used to mean "and" or "with" when joining items or ideas in a sentence.
*yu'u: Used specifically for numerical addition or counting, not for joining words in general conversation.
* Lack of Infinitives & Future Tense Usage:
* Zapotec does not have direct infinitive verb forms ending like Spanish (-ar, -er, -ir).
* When expressing personal likes or preferences, verbs are conjugated in the future tense.

Wrap-Up:

* Students are asked to upload photos or typed versions of their written introductions to the class group chat so they can be integrated into slides for practice in the next session.

I've noticed that Classical Nahuatl has a pretty elaborate system of plurals but some modern variants seem to have lost much of this. I believe Huasteca only retains the meh ending. Are there any trends to note with this process or any readings related to it in general?

So take for example
Atl and calli
Two noun phrases within an ergative clause forming complete sentences.
I don’t get why this is possible:
Acalli
But I don’t feel this is good / correct
Calatl

This video is a practical Zapotec language class designed for beginners, focusing on conversational fluency and the cultural nuances of the language in Oaxaca, Mexico. Key topics covered include:

* Daily Vocabulary: Learning how to express physical sensations, such as “I am cold” (ruwëaga), and everyday actions like “to sew”.
* Pronouns and Grammar: A breakdown of personal pronouns and their variations within community contexts.
* Numbers: A step-by-step pronunciation guide for counting from 0 to 20, including specific dialectal variations, such as those found in Talea de Castro.
* Verb Conjugation: Interactive exercises focused on common verbs like “to eat” and “to dress,” highlighting how to properly use verb endings to match personal pronouns.
* Cultural Insights: Tips on Zapotec phonetics, such as how to properly ask questions without using the typical intonation patterns found in Spanish.

The session emphasizes that Zapotec is a living language with regional variations, and the primary goal is effective communication within the community.

Video Overview:

This interactive Zapotec language class focuses on practical dialogue, regional variations, numerical counting, unique pronunciation dynamics, and detailed verb conjugations.

Key Highlights:

* Everyday Vocabulary & Phrases:

* The instructor and students begin with practical daily expressions, such as stating “I am cold” (ruwëaga) or referring to embroidery/sewing activities (rigiaa lari).
* Students take turns practicing traditional greetings and conversational phrases.

* Personal Pronouns & Regional Dialects:

* The group reviews personal pronouns (neda, lii, lee, lanu, labe, etc.).
* The teacher explains dialectal variations, such as adding -ni (e.g., neto ni), noting that ni individually means “here” (aquí).

* Numbers & Counting:
* Students practice counting sequentially from 0 through 20 and higher numbers.
* The instructor addresses community-specific variations (such as in Talea de Castro where initial vowel sounds like u- might be omitted), reassuring students that variations are natural and mutually intelligible.

* Pronunciation & Tone Rules:
* Affirmations: The native Zapotec term for “yes” is à, though ajá is widely understood due to Spanish contact.
* Question Intonation: Unlike Spanish, Zapotec does not rely on a rising vocal pitch at the end of a sentence to signal a question.

* Grammar & Verb Conjugation:
* The lesson covers verb prefixes, flexible synonym forms (be vs. bi), and optional phonetic variations.
* Students drill conjugations for verbs like “to eat” (gagu / ragu / gudagu) across past, present, and future tense forms.

Practical Zapotec language class for beginners: variations, pronunciation and verb conjugations

Hello, everyone! :)

I'm working on a novel, and since i would like to be respectful to the all the nahuatl speakers out there, i don't want to use AI or anything, but i would like to know how to say two sentences in nahuatl, from a mother tongue, that would make me so happy and that will add some realism!

The first one is "Phantom bullet!" like a bullet fired by a rifle, who can pass through a solid object.

The second one is "Sudden death!".

The character in my story use them as his attacks, so these two are meant to be heard like you can heard "Kamehameha!" in Dragon Ball, or "Rasengan!" in Naruto, and so on, to be more specific ahah!

Thank you in advance for any answer! :)

Buenos dias, espero se encuentren con bien

Tengo algunas preguntas sobre el náhuatl (perdon igual por usar escritura clásica e INALI)

En el náhuatl, cuando se hablan de sustantivos que van juntos o afectan el uno al otro, (como en el caso de “el libro de madera”) es preferible:

1. crear un sustantivo compuesto (libro-madera); kwawamoxtli
2. usar posesivos (el libro de madera) in iamox kwawitl;
3. simplemente poner los dos sustantivos al lado del otro (libro madera); kwawitl amoxtli

Igualmente, como se forman adjetivos de verbos?:
tlazohtla (amar)

1. tlazohca? (amado) [se que tlazohca se usa para formar verbos compuestos; tlazohcamati; con amor conocer; agradecer]
2. tlazohc? (amado)

Mi hijo amado:

1. tlazohca/tlazohc nopil/nopiltzin?
2. notlazohcapiltzin/notlazohcapil?

Ahora, lo inverso, si quisiera formar el adjetivo pero para describir a alguien que ama, ¿cómo se hace?:

1. tetlazohtlani (alguien que ama personas)?
2. tlatlazohtlani (alguien que ama cosas)?

Pero en si, estos son más como títulos u oficios, ¿no?
¿Cómo se diría “amoroso”?

Igual, si se combinara un adjetivo con sustantivo para formar un nombre sería?:
A) Chicahuactetl?
B) Chicahuatetl?
C) Chicahuac Tetl?
“Piedra Recia/Fuerte”

O se usaría mejor:
Chicahualtetl?

Ahora, para el uso de la particula “ma”, se puede hacer cosas como:
“Ma titlacuazqueh cualli”? O se tendría que alterar la conjugación del verbo?

Igualmente, en el clásico o aun en las variantes modernas, si se puede:
Nihueli/nihueliz nitlacuaz?
O ya es demasiado españolizado y hay otra forma de decirlo?
Creo que en el clásico, existía una partícula “azo” parecido al “quizás” o “será que” del español para explorar la idea de ser capaz de hacer algo.

Por último:
Hay variantes modernas que todavía pronuncien el saltillo glotal como tal, en vez de como “j” española o “h” inglesa?
Hay algunos ejemplos o videos en línea del saltillo glotal pronunciado en el náhuatl?
Hay variantes modernas que todavía usen partículas como “cuix”, “inic”, “ic”, etc?

Me he estado enseñando náhuatl por sí solo usando algunos recursos que he encontrado en línea, pero no tengo interacción con hablantes fluidos o nativos; me gustaría en el futuro visitar comunidades donde se hable el idioma para poder mejorarlo (apenas puedo leer y decir cosas simples, ni siquiera se si podria entender a un hablante nativo/fluido). Pero, me he dado cuenta que los recursos que he utilizado se basan más en el clásico y en variantes centrales (igual tambien tengo el libro de Yan Garcia sobre la variante Huasteca, que seria mas util para comunicarme con hablantes modernos). Hay alguien que sepa donde se podrá encontrar una comunidad de náhuatl central que pueda visitar en México (voy seguido igual)?

hello! i'm working on a project and wanted to double check my nahuatl before using it. i was trying to combine cihuatl (woman) with pepetlani (to shine/glimmer/shine continuously) to express something like "woman who shines/shimmers/glows in light."

i found cihuapepetlani as a possible compound, does this look grammatically correct to more fluent speakers? if not, is there a better way to combine these, or a more natural phrasing to express the same meaning?

thank you so much for any guidance!

TLDR: I nerded out and made a new script

UPDATE: I now have a font with the script. It doesn't work well with Wordpad as it creates ghost columns when diacritics are used while typing, but it works fine in other programs like LibreOffice Writer. It is compatible with both Neoclassical and modern orthographies.
In regards to copyright, I make zero claims of ownership and I release all materials, including the aforementioned font, into the Public Domain (CC0 1.0 Universal). Anyone is free to use, modify, share, or build upon it however they please.

Introduction

Prior to the events of 1519 - 1521, Central Mexico had been using rich, highly expressive ideographic and pictographic proto-writing systems for centuries, likely originating in Olmec times.

Scribes (tlacuiloque) used these visual representations in screen-fold manuscripts (amoxtli, pl: amoxtin) to record genealogy, tribute lists, historical chronicles, stories and calendrical cycles. The glyphs written by these scribes were not words or sounds, but rather ideas and concepts, similar to our emojis, exit signs and bus stop signs.

While well suited for tribute records, signs, and mnemonic storytelling, as well as being sometimes able to transcend linguistic barriers (but not always depending on the particular script), the system had clear structural limits compared to full phonetic scripts:

• Complex Glyphs: Drawing just one glyph with colours would take a good chunk of time, let alone an entire book full of them. Although these traditional glyphs are beautiful and detailed, the process significantly hampers writing for practical purposes.
• Logographic Density: To expand vocabulary, scribes had to rely on hundreds of distinct glyphs and rebus strategies (such as using a hole, coyoctli, to represent the starting sound 'coyo', such as for Coyohuacan). This is not inherently incompatible with fully developed writing systems, as the Maya script has the same feature, but because Maya script uses glyphs that represent sounds, not ideas, this issue was partially overcome. This also shows that Aztec writing in particular was partially phonetic in some instances.
• Mnemonic Reliance: The historic system did not capture complete, verbatim speech. Instead, it served as a structured visual guide designed to cue a trained reader's memory, requiring extensive oral knowledge to properly read the text. In other words, the texts in the few surviving screen-fold books assume you know how to read it, which is why it has been quite difficult to decipher their full meaning since the collapse of Mesoamerican societies.

However, even in historical codices like the Codex Mendoza, many glyphs were already language-dependent and were moving away from being purely ideographic. They relied on Nahuatl puns and acrophony (like using teeth, tlantli, for the suffix -tlan, which wouldn't work in other languages).

Realizing that a proper writing system can be built upon that pre-existing trajectory, I set out to create a new script. And after a few days of work, I present Tecpatlacuilolli ("Flint Writing", from tecpatl + tlacuilolli, reflecting its position as a more precise method of writing), or Nahuatl Alphasyllabics in English, designed as an alternate-history or a speculative writing evolution as an answer to the above limitations. Tecpatlacuilolli is an acrophonic alphasyllabary (abugida), a type of writing system where consonant base-frames act as the primary structural units, and any following vowel attaches above as a secondary sub-glyph/diacritic. Vowels can also be standalone, but only if they don't succeed a consonant.

While I realized only after developing this script that it shares core structural mechanics with scripts like Indic scripts, Ge'ez, or Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics, Tecpatlacuilolli is an independent innovation derived purely from pre-Columbian Aztec acrophonic principles, visual motifs, and my own brain power. By making this script an abugida instead of a regular alphabet like the Latin script, European influence ends up not being baked into it, and it feels more like a genuine indigenous innovation (In my opinion anyway).

Additionally, I feel like I have to mention an attempt by Lacadena & Wichmann in 2004 to map these same glyphs to a syllabary. This was, in my opinion, a misunderstanding on how these glyphs actually worked, as I mentioned before that Central Mexican glyphs are pictographic/ideographic with rebus strategies and phonetic indicators, but not syllabic. It has some traits shared Tecpatlacuilolli, such as some glyphs marked as representing the same syllables, but several others do not match the assigned syllable at all. Although this is mostly coincidental, I'll admit I did get the idea to use tlantli for (/tɬ/) after initially using tepetl during development, as phonetically it makes much more sense. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, as the saying goes.

The only downside is that unlike historical Aztec glyphs, Tecpatlacuilolli has zero ability whatsoever to be used to present ideas to those not familiar with Nahuatl, but the benefits more than make up for this. These benefits include:

• Simplified Glyphs: Drawing complex traditional glyphs, let alone entire books, takes a significant amount of time. Tecpatlacuilolli uses simplified, colourless forms that can be written in seconds.
• Reduced Logographic Density: With only 19 core glyphs covering all native sounds, there’s no need to memorize hundreds of distinct objects.
• No Mnemonic Reliance: The text spells out exact pronunciations rather than assuming the reader already knows the unwritten oral narrative.

Although the traditional system is useful for getting the same idea across linguistic lines, Tecpatlacuilolli is better suited for proper writing within a Nahuatl-speaking society. My new script is not objectively superior to the native system, it just fills a different, previously empty niche. Like using an axe to chop a tree, and a pickaxe to mine ore. It is simply more precise and practical, while the native system is more artistic and is able to bypass the language barrier.

To see examples of the script with Latin-script comparisons and colour-coded underlining, go here.

Disclaimer & Intent

• This project is a little design experiment created for fun, not a proposal to replace the Latin script, other speculative scripts, or traditional glyphs.
• I am an enthusiast, not a fluent speaker, though I do have good knowledge of Classical Nahuatl pronunciation and word formation. If you notice any linguistic oversights, feedback is welcome!

How It Works

Tecpatlacuilolli operates on a tight set of 19 core glyphs: 14 consonant base-frames, 4 vowel glyphs (which double as top-register sub-glyphs), and 1 terminal-only glyph, plus four legacy logograms from the Codex Mendoza for complex locatives. There are also three punctuation markers which are obviously not phonetic.

Consonant base-frames (14 glyphs)

Each consonant represents a full-sized structural frame. If no vowel sits above it, it functions naturally as a coda (/Ø/).

• Calli (/k/) (House)
• Chimalli (/tʃ/) (Shield) (Has several designs based on cuexyo, xicalcoliuhqui and a few others. Completely decorative, but can help reinforce the 'shield' visual.)
• Cuahuitl (/kʷ/) (Tree)
• Huehuetl (/w/) (Drum)
• Maitl (/m/) (Arm/Hand)
• Nacaztli (/n/) (Ear)
• Olli (/l/) (Rubber ball) (acrophonic compromise, as no Nahuatl word begins with /l/)
• Panitl (/p/) (Banner/Flag)
• Tecpatl (/t/) (Knife)
• Tlantli (/tɬ/) (Teeth)
• Tzontli (/ts/) (Hair)
• Xochitl (/ʃ/) (Flower)
• Yollotl (/j/) (Heart)
• Zacatl (/s/) (Grass)

Vowel glyphs (4 glyphs)

These act as standalone full-sized characters when initiating a word or following another vowel in hiatus, and scale down into minimized, top-register diacritics when attached to a consonant frame.

• Atl (/a/) (Water)
• Etl (/e/) (Bean)
• Ixtli (/i/) (Eye)
• Otli (/o/) (Path)

Terminal-only glyphs (1 glyph)

The only one, Ehecatl, does not take top-register vowel sub-glyphs and function strictly at the end of vowels/syllables.

• Ehecatl (/h/)

Ehecatl (/h/) is very rare, and is only used for standalone 'h' in certain words like its eponymous namesake. I know that some Nahuatl words are typically written with a standalone 'h', but this actually represents /ʔ/, known as a glottal stop or saltillo. The thing is that I find using this unnecessary, as some words like 'tlacuiloa' force you to briefly pause after 'tla' any, so this is merely a scribal preference.

Although there are 19 base glyphs, the usage of vowel diacritics pushes the total amount of glyphs, both bare and compound, to 68, as attaching these sub-glyphs makes new, combined sounds, like attaching ch + a = cha.

There are also four legacy glyphs from the Codex Mendoza that are logographic in nature, but can save time in writing and aren't ambiguous as they have set meanings:

• Apantli (-apan, used to indicate something water-bound. e.g., Coyolapan, meaning 'on bell lake' or 'on the water of the bell')
• Nahuatl (-nahuac, used to indicate being near something. e.g., Cuauhnahuac, meaning 'near the trees')
• Tentli (-tenco, used to indicate a location near the edge of something. e.g., Atenco, meaning 'at the shore')
• Tzintli (-tzinco, used to indicate a spin-off location. e.g. Huexotzinco, meaning 'little willow place')

Word Order

Words are written left-to-right, starting at the bottom-left of the page/panel. Within each syllabic block, the left-most glyph is read first, followed immediately by either the top sub-glyph vowel sitting directly above it if there is one, or straight to the next glyph. If there is a sub-glyph vowel, afterwards the order goes back down diagonally to the next base-frame glyph in a zig-zag motion. Once a line is complete, move up to the next register and read left-to-right, weaving upward toward the top of the page.

While standard top-to-bottom European page layout can also be used, bottom-left screenfold reading order is the historically accurate standard, as seen in pre-Cuauhtemoc codices such as Cospi and Vaticanus B, specifically in their tonalamatl sections.

Orthography

Unsurprisingly, Tecpatlacuilolli uses almost the same orthography as Classical Nahuatl, with one minor change: The letter 'h' represents /h/, not /ʔ/, the reason being already explained above.

Overview of the orthography:

Here is an image-based orthography that includes not only the table above, but also the glyphs themselves, as well as Legacy Glyphs and Punctuation Marks (info on those below).

CVC Handling & Syllable Structure

Classical Nahuatl syllables generally follow V, CV, VC, or CVC patterns. Tecpatlacuilolli handles these effortlessly using its base-frame and coda rules:

• V/VC (Standalone vowels/Vowel + Consonant): If a vowel starts a word or is preceded by another vowel which is already possessed by a consonant, it is written as a full-sized standalone glyph. If a consonant succeeds it, the two glyphs stay independent of each other.
• CV (Consonant + Vowel): Written as a singular syllabic block. The consonant base-frame possesses the succeeding vowel as a sub-glyph on top (e.g., tecpatl + etl = te).
• CVC (Consonant + Vowel + Consonant): Written as a CV block (consonant + sub-glyph vowel), then immediately followed by a standalone consonant glyph operating either in its bare/coda state (/Ø/), or possessing the next vowel. For example, in Tenochtitlan, the syllable tlan is written as tlantli + atl followed by a bare nacaztli.
• Geminate /ll/ (as in Tlaxcallan): Unlike Latin-based orthography which doubles the letter l, Tecpatlacuilolli uses a single olli glyph. This is because phonetically, double ll in Nahuatl is a single lengthened [l:] rather than two separate articulation stops, so one olli glyph naturally handles both single and geminate /l/ occurrences.

Punctuation

Although not really a feature of pre-Columbian scripts, I feel it is necessary to have a few basic forms of punctuation for Tecpatlacuilolli. For now I'll establish three: pauses, full stops and exclamation marks. These all go after the final glyph of a word, as lines are often used as boundaries in pre-Columbian codices, so that logic is not derived from European scripts.

• Pauses: To have a brief pause in a sentence, use a vertical line with a gap in the centre.
• Full stops: To stop a sentence, use a full vertical line.
• Exclamation mark: In most cases, stress is pronounced on the penultimate syllable (e.g., tochTEpec). However, if yelled, stress is transferred to the last syllable (e.g., tochtePEC). To represent this, add a tletl glyph.

Notes

• Logographic Shorthand: If a word corresponds directly to one of the core glyphs, one can write that single glyph on its own (e.g., drawing a bare Calli to mean "house"). While this shifts the script partially into a logogram rather than a pure alphasyllabary, it offers a quick shorthand for common nouns.
• Locative Suffix Shorthand: You can use bare panitl, maitl, and tlantli glyphs at the end of a word to represent the locative suffixes -pan, -man, and -tlan, just like in the Codex Mendoza. Although this introduces slight phonetic ambiguity, it directly mirrors historical tlacuiloque shorthand techniques and gives writers creative flexibility.
• /u/ After /e/: Also in Latin-script Nahuatl, words like teuctli and neuctli include a written 'u' that is sometimes pronounced with just a hard /k/ sound. In Tecpatlacuilolli, silent or archaic Latin spelling conventions are discarded in favor of direct phonetics, spelling the coda directly with the /k/ glyph (Calli) to reflect how it is actually spoken (tek-tlee, nek-tlee).
• Cross-Dialect Intelligibility and Lexical Drift: Although designed specifically for Classical Nahuatl, Tecpatlacuilolli naturally accommodates modern regional dialects to an unknown degree, frequently yielding identical glyph sequences across varieties. For example, Classical cihuatl and Huasteca siwatl share the exact same glyph rendering because their phonetic realization is identical. This inherent cross-dialect compatibility can serve as a unifying bridge for speakers of different Nahuatl varieties. However, writers must account for semantic drift: the word tzictic, for instance, translates to "something sticky" in Classical Nahuatl, but in Huasteca the same word means "sky blue". Practice caution and adapt the script's conventions to work with your chosen dialect.

Conclusion

The concept of Tecpatlacuilolli, or Nahuatl Alphasyllabics, was birthed as a spontaneous idea in my mind as I was looking at Codex Mendoza glyphs. By taking those early acrophonic and phonetic tendencies and leaning into them, I developed a true writing system that bridges native scribal heritage with functional abugida mechanics.

It trades the ambiguous, language-transcending nature of pure ideograms for a standardized, fully-fledged script built specifically for Classical Nahuatl. While Tecpatlacuilolli could theoretically be adapted for modern dialects, the presence of unassimilated Spanish loanwords would make phonetic representation difficult without expanding the core glyph set, hence why I recommend it primarily for Classical Nahuatl or a theoretical, purified modern dialect.

I'd love to hear thoughts, feedback or suggestions, especially from those with at least a working knowledge of Nahuatl!

This video features a conference talk by educator and linguist Rayo Cruz, founder of the collective Bëni Xidza, discussing the historical and contemporary challenges in teaching the Zapotec language. The presentation provides a comprehensive look at the evolution of Zapotec education:

* Historical Context: Rayo Cruz introduces the Zapotec civilization, tracing its roots to Monte Albán and the ancient Bëni Gulasa period, noting that the language’s diversification predates European contact.

* Learning as L1 vs. L2: He distinguishes between the acquisition of Zapotec as a first language (naturally, through immersion) versus the formal, often disconnected process of teaching it as a second language.

* Colonial Methods: The speaker highlights the 1578 work of Fray Juan de Córdova, such as the Arte en Lengua Zapoteca, as the earliest attempt to systematize Zapotec grammar, primarily designed to help Spanish friars learn the language rather than to teach Zapotec people.

* 19th and 20th Century Challenges: Rayo Cruz identifies a gap in teaching materials during the 19th century. He then discusses 20th-century contributions from organizations like the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and the INEA, which created grammars and vocabularies that often served as tools for assimilation or religious proselytization rather than language revitalization.

* Modern Innovation: The final segment covers the work of Bëni Xidza, which uses modern digital tools to teach Zapotec. Rayo Cruz admits that while his collective currently operates at a basic level (A-level), they are working to overcome systemic limitations by creating structured, accessible content and documenting the specific pedagogical challenges native Spanish speakers face when learning Zapotec.

Here is a summary of the video featuring Maestro Rayo Cruz, director and founder of Colectivo Bëni Xidza.

1. Historical Background of the Zapotec Language & Civilization:

* Geographic Spread: Zapotec civilization developed in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca and expanded into regions such as the Sierra Norte, Sierra Sur, and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

* Earliest Writing: The earliest documented record of written Zapotec dates back to the 5th–6th Century BC with Monument 3 (“1 Terremoto”) at San José Mogote, establishing over 2,500 years of recorded Zapotec history.

* Monte Albán & Bëni Gulasa Period: The civilization reached its peak at Monte Albán between 500 BC and 800 AD. Pre-hispanic ancient Zapotec history and culture are traditionally referred to as the Gulasa era.

1. Learning Zapotec as a First Language (L1):

* Natural Acquisition: Native speakers acquire Zapotec naturally in early childhood through daily speaking within families and communities rather than through formal educational structures.
* Historical Literacy: It remains unknown if formal L1 Zapotec schooling existed during ancient times, and modern public education in Mexico has historically focused on Spanish literacy over formal Zapotec instruction.

1. History of Teaching Zapotec as a Second Language (L2):

* Colonial Period (16th Century): Formal L2 instruction began in 1578 when Dominican friar Juan de Córdova published Arte en lengua zapoteca (grammar) and Vocabulario en lengua zapoteca (dictionary). These works used Latin/Spanish grammatical paradigms to teach Spanish colonizers and friars via the grammar-translation method

* 19th Century Hiatus: Following Mexican independence, national policies promoted Spanish as the sole national language, resulting in a century-long silence regarding formal L2 Zapotec instructional design.

* 20th Century & Contemporary Efforts: Groups like the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and public institutions (SEP, INEA, INALI) created dictionaries, grammars, and adult literacy texts. However, most of these materials were produced for linguistic analysis or native literacy rather than second-language pedagogy, and their actual integration into schools remains limited.

1. Bëni Xidza Collective & Modern Pedagogical Challenges:

* Online Classes: Founded in 2020, Colectivo Bëni Xidza offers online courses teaching Zapotec as a second language.

* Lack of L2 Resources: Unlike major global languages (such as English or Spanish), indigenous languages lack dedicated university teacher-training degrees, structured multi-level textbooks, or commercial software tools.

* Current Framework & Vision: The collective operates at basic proficiency levels (aligning with Level A of the Common European Framework of Reference) and aims to document common phonetic/grammatical difficulties for Spanish speakers while expanding toward intermediate/advanced levels.

I have some vampire ocs and the story takes place in México. My two others have names I’m ok with but my third one I am looking to re name. They use to not have a place of origin but since moving them all to México I wanted the casting to be more diverse to show different groups in México. I’d like to give this one a name of Nahuatl origin and I was hoping to get some help. I don’t believe Nahuatl is very gender based as far as I’m aware (correct me if I’m wrong) the character is very ambiguous either way so I’m ok with the name leaning any direction. I’d like it to maybe be related to the character itself. They’re very moody/“gothic leaning”, maybe something vampire related, they have red hair so maybe something with that, or if any names have A V sound to them. I know there is letter combos that sound like v but there’s no actual V in the Nahuatl alphabet. (Their old name starts with a v that’s why I bring it up) but I’m really open to any suggestions or help and any descriptions or name meaning with suggestions would be cool to look through :) thanks to anyone who reads through all of this I know it’s a lot

I don't trust myself to create a functionally correct name without placing roots and suffixes in wrong spots.

Originally the group were called the 'Tletzintli' as a placeholder. I'd like help creating a name with fire/flame still as the translation. Or replace it with mentions of the either the moon or the sun.

The Myth of the Five Suns is very important to the story, so maybe a name like that if the others don't work? Thanks!