The Aztec House of Song: Cuicacalli and Tenochtitlan's Soundscape

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the cuicacalli, the 'house of song' in Tenochtitlan where Aztec youth were trained in music, dance, and ritual performance. They discuss how the cuicacalli functioned alongside the telpochcalli and calmecac, the instruments used—like teponaztli, huehuetl, ayacachtli, and omichicahuaztli—and the role of song and dance in Mexica religious and social life. Drawing on the Florentine Codex and Bernardino de Sahagún, they reveal how the cuicacalli was a space for both discipline and ecstatic devotion, and how it was targeted during the Spanish conquest. The episode also touches on the training of priests and warriors, the great feast of Toxcatl, and the soundscape of the Templo Mayor. #Cuicacalli #AztecMusic #Mexica #Tenochtitlan #FlorentineCodex #BernardinoDeSahagun #Teponaztli #Huehuetl #Toxcatl #TemploMayor #Nahuatl #Mesoamerica #AztecDance #Macehualtin #Pipiltin #Telpochcalli #Calmecac #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo