The 33 best Riddles in Nahuatl (with solutions)

There are a wide variety of languages ​​throughout the world.. All of them are the product of the cultural heritage of one or several peoples, possessing different structures and ways of functioning that vary enormously among themselves.

Unfortunately, this linguistic richness has been deteriorating over time and many ancient languages ​​have been lost. However others manage to endure, as is the case of Nahuatl, which comes from pre-Columbian times (although the dialect has probably changed to a great extent with respect to the mayan era.

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

What is Nahuatl?

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

It is about the latter that this document is about, throughout which we are going to visualize 33 riddles in Nahuatl with in order to train our imaginative capacity and reasoning at the same time that some elements of a cultural nature are expressed.

A brief collection of riddles in Nahuatl

Next 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, the idiosyncrasy and the popular knowledge of the descendants of pre-Columbian peoples (although many of them are from modern times).

We can observe that many have verbal forms that remind us that we are facing a riddle

1. Za zan tleino Tepetozcatl quitoca momamatlaxcalotiuh Papalotl

"Across the valley, colorful, flutter clapping your hands like someone throwing tortillas"

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

2. Uñijximeajts ajtsaj ximbas salñuwindxey makiejp op saltsankan makiejp ñity

"Wrapped leaf and tied with palm is my disguise. In my mass body my meat heart you will find"

A typical Mesoamerican food with 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 little riddles. She has teeth, she has no mouth, suddenly she's hairy"

The ear of corn is the answer to this riddle, which identifies the grains with the teeth and the fact of becoming hairy with the state in which the ear remains when eaten.

4. Natyek umbas ñikands umeajts nanbyur ulük nangan mi kej

"You will have a feast... Green on the outside you will see me and black teeth on the inside you will find. You will eat from my sweet blood red heart, 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, Riddle: 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: him! -Te: ntetl! Se: totla: tla: katsi: n nonemi: tia ista: ktsi: n, nowe: ilia xoxo: hke, wan miki chi: chi: ltik

"Riddle!-Gobber! A little man who is born white, grows up 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. Here quittaz tozazaniltzin, tla ca nenca huitzmalot

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

Although it may be difficult to imagine at first glance, the answer is the needle when sewing, since he drags the thread with it (his "guts").

8. Maaske mas titlaakatl yes but mitschooktis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Although it is 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 boy dancing"

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

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

"A riddle, a riddle. Behind your back it lengthens, before your forehead it shortens."

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

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

"No matter how much you want and try, you will never be able to touch her, although behind you you will always see her walk"

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

14. Se: tosa: sa: 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 little man, that for everything you don't want to step on, you will walk on it."

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: 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, you see it again and it has already passed to another hill; never tires"

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 people can get their food in a chiquihuite I have to dance, after launching myself and plunging into the sea."

The food in question being obviously fish, we must think of an instrument that is thrown overboard and can be stored in a basket. The answer is the cast net, lightning or other types of nets.

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

"What is a blue gourd, planted 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. The one who makes it, does it singing. He who buys it, buys it crying. The one who uses it is no longer spotting it."

This riddle, on the other hand not very pleasant, reflects how important the concept of death is for many peoples of Mesoamerica. And it is that 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?"

Brief riddle whose solution is the wind.

20. Zazan tleino quetzalcomoctzin quetzalli conmantica

"Guess the riddle: they have gray hair to the tip and some green quetzal feathers"

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

21. Zazan tleino aco cuitlaiaoalli mouiuixoa

"Round at the top and paunchy too, I shake myself and I'm screaming so you can dance."

This riddle has as a solution a simple musical instrument but widely used in mass parties such as Carnival. We are talking about maracas.

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

"A riddle, a riddle: An old lady, who with only one little tooth yells at people."

The old lady in question is a metallic instrument that chimes to give us the time or to announce some important event. It's about the bell.

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

"Palm is covered my mind. My wooden feet are. People rest in me, because I stop the rays of the sun."

It is an enramada, a kind of natural shelter that is made by intertwining the branches of the trees.

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

"Red-skinned, white on the inside."

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

25. Lipan se tlakomoli, westok waan nokweptok, to oksee side.

"To the invited meal, even if it is a plate and spoon"

Both in Central America and South America it is common for one of the most common foods that accompanies all or almost all the meals are corn tortillas, as essential in the day-to-day diet as bread in most of Europe.

26. Zazan tleino, tezahuilama tlallan tlacuacua.

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

The answer to this riddle is a creature capable of living underground and that seems to gnaw while digging. It's the mole.

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

"Hungry they take her. Full they bring it loading".

The riddle in question tells us about a jar or bucket, which is expected to be full and when they are taken it is to fill them.

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

"Wood pitcher who knows the region of the dead."

The answer is a pitcher of water, 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 an upright tree, on its head a mourning dove is sitting, what is it?"

It is neither 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 me dooxqui'me

"Guess guess, who on his back is wearing guts that you even see?"

This is not an obvious riddle, but it refers to shrimp, the interior of which can be glimpsed when raw.

31. Za zan tleino, Excampa ticalaqui zan cecni tiquiza

"Guess it if you know: naked you go in through three places, dressed through one you go out."

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

32. See tosaasanil, see tosaasanil. Tias üpan see tepeetl iitlakotian tepeetl tikoneextis san see well

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

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

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

"No matter how much you want and try, you will never be able to look at it, although without any effort you will always be able to 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.