Sex, Romance, Queerness, and Gender in Classical Nahuatl
When I started studying Nahuatl almost twenty years ago, I noticed—as a queer man—that most analyses of Nahuatl vocabulary concerning LGBTQIA2s+ identities and practices suffered greatly because they had been carried out first by bigoted Catholics (often informed by converted Nahuas trying to make their ancestors’ culture align better with Christian morality), then by straight white men, and then by [mostly] straight “well-meaning” liberal allies who didn’t / don’t really know much at all about how queer people live and love. Horribly insulting glosses in Spanish and English exist of practices and identities that were accepted in most Nahua city-states. And where experts have tried to improve on those, they have still failed to use the language preferred by present-day queer people.
You may have read some of these folks say that there are just a handful of words about “homosexuals” in Nahuatl. But that’s foolishness. People have also denied the existence of romantic love and other such outlandish ideas.
Over the years, I have collected loads and loads of Classical Nahuatl words that surely had particular relevance for the queer individuals of pre-Spanish-Invasion Anahuac (the Basin of Mexico). Thinking about them, both in their written context and as individual markers of cultural behaviors, has helped me immensely with projects like my present series of queer historical romances set in early 15th-century Anahuac.
Note that I don’t use a bunch of euphemisms and scientific language, except where it is clear in the primary sources that the term in question was used euphemistically or for more clinical conversation. That means that to define them, I use the sort of English words that queer adults (in real life and in romance novels) use, which overly conservative or sex-shaming people may consider vulgar.
While this lexicon is still growing (and I will update this article regularly to include additional terms), I wanted to share with others the rich vocabulary that queer Nahuas were able to use to discuss themselves, their bodies, and their proclivities. I’ve organized the terms in what some may find peculiar ways, but I will keep refining this list in the future (and would be delighted to read suggestions from readers).
CONTENT WARNING: THE FOLLOWING LIST CONTAINS FRANK, EXPLICIT, ADULT LANGUAGE IN BOTH NAHUATL AND ENGLISH.
Lesbianism, Sapphism, and Natal Female Bits
Ātlauhyacac — [locative] in the pussy (lit. “at the end of the ravine”)
Chīchīhualli — breast/s, tit/s, nipple/s
Chīchīhualmecapalli — a person with big tits
Chīchīhualnanatzihui — for someone’s tits / nipples to get hard
Chīchīhualtzītzītzquia — to fondle someone’s tits
Chīchīhualyacahuītztli — pointy nipple
Chīchīhualyacatl — nipple
Chichina — to suck up the essence, as a bird does the nectar of a flower
Chihchi — to suck on someone’s breasts
Chihchītia- to let someone suck on one’s breasts
Cīcihuāpileh — lesbian; a woman who exclusively “has” women
Cīcihuāpiltia — [transitive] to hook up exclusively with women
Cihuaāyotl — the various fluids produced by a vagina
Cihuacochi — to have sex with [“sleep with”] a woman
Cihuāicnīuhtia — [reflexive] to obtain female companions / lovers
Cihuāīhuinti — to be devoted to women
Cihuānacayōtl — female genitalia (lit. “woman flesh”)
Cihuapilli — pussy (lit. “noble lady” / “princess”)
Cihuāpohtia — [reflexive] to live with another woman in intimacy
Cihuāyotl — female sex organs (lit. “womanhood”)
Cocoxqui — vulva / pussy [also in the pejorative sense used against men]
Mocīcihuāpiltiāni — a woman who obtains only women for herself
Mocihuāicnīuhtiāni — a woman who takes women as her lovers
Mocihuāpohtiāni — a woman who lives with a woman lover
Necihuāicnīuhtiliztli — [unattested, but grammatical] lesbianism
Nenepiloa —to flick or flutter the tongue
Pahpaloa — to lick someone or something
Patlachhuia — for a woman to masturbate another woman
Petlacihuāyōtl — lesbian sex
Nenetl — euphemism for pussy (lit. “doll”)
Tēcciztli — euphemism for pussy (lit. “sea shell”)
Tēpahpaloāni — [unattested, but following from tēpahpaloa, “to lick someone”] someone who licks people
Tēpatlachhuia — to fuck women / she fucks women
Tepilli — vulva (often referred to in the reverential form: tepiltzin)
- Tepilcamatl — opening / vaginal orifice
- Tepilcamaxitecuilli — labia
- Tepilcuāxīcalli — vagina
- Tepilīxcuatl — the outside of female genitalia (as a whole)
- Tepilocōtzotl — vaginal discharge / female ejaculate
- Tepilohxitl — arousal fluid / vaginal lubricant
- Tepiltēntli — labia
Tepileh — someone with a vulva
Tepiltalah — someone with a big pussy
Tepiltzoyaca — someone with a tight pussy
Tlanenepilhuia — to make circles and other movements with the tongue
Tlapahpaloāni — someone who licks things
Tlapahpalōliztli — the action of licking things
Tlapahpalōlli — a thing that gets licked
Gayness and Natal Male Bits
Achtli — cum / semen
Āhuacatl — euphemism for balls (lit. “avocados”)
Atetl — testicle / ball
Atetzocomictia — [transitive] to play with someone’s balls
Ātexicōlli — scrotum / sac
Ayecohtli — euphemism for balls (lit. “big red or black beans”)
Cuauhquetza — [reflexive] for one’s dick to get hard (lit. “to wood-rise”)
Cuiloni — bottom (lit. “one who is fucked”)
Cuilontia — [transitive] to have [gay / anal] sex with someone
Cuilontli — gay man (purportedly meant in a derogatory way)
Cuilonyōtl — gayness, “homosexuality”
Cuitlapampa — [locative] out of or into one’s ass
Cuitlapan — small of the back
Ehuahueyi — [reflex.] to “rise getting bigger,” i.e., for one’s dick to get hard
Oquichchōtl — sperm
Oquichcochi — to have sex with [“sleep with”] a man
Oquichnacayōtl — natal male genitalia
Omicetl — sperm
Pipitzoa — to suck on something without biting
Tēcuilontiāni — someone who has [gay / anal] sex
Tecuīlontiliztli — gayness, “homosexuality”
Tēmpipitzoa — to put something in one’s mouth and suck on it without biting
Tepolli — penis
- Tepōlācayōtl — penis, natal male genitalia
- Tepōlāyōtl — sperm
- Tepōlcamapīccatl — opening of the foreskin
- Tepōlcuatexextli — smegma
- Tepōlcuatextli — smegma
- Tepōlcuāxipēuhcat — head of the penis
Tepōleh — person with a penis
Tepōlēhuayōtl — skin of the penis
Tēxipintequiliztli — circumcision
Tlacuāuhtilia — to have an erection
Tlapipitzoāni — one who sucks on things without biting
Tlapipitzōliztli — the action of sucking on things without biting them
Tlapipitzōlli — a thing that is sucked on and not bitten
Tototl — cock [lit. “bird”]
Tzonehua / chonehua — to have an erection
Xipincuācoyōnca — dick hole
Xipinēhuatl — foreskin
Xipinēhuayōtequi — to circumcise
Xipintli — penis [or foreskin, used interchangeably]
Xipintontli — little penis
Yohyomoctli — balls
General [Often Queer] Sex Terms
Acayotl — genitals (whether penis or vagina)
Ahāhuillācanequi — [reflexive] to search out sexual pleasure
Ana — [transitive] to seize, i.e., to fuck forcefully
Cincolli — penis/dildo
Cuatlaxcon [probably should be “cuauhtlaxcon”] — penis/dildo
Cuauhtlāza — to fuck frequently (with dick or dildo)
Cui — [transitive] to take, i.e. to fuck
Cuihcui — to fuck frequently
Cuicuixoch — a deflowered femme
Cuilchilli — asshole
Cuilchiltēntli — anal sphincter
Cuilotl — penis / dildo / baton (lit. “thing for taking / fucking”)
Cuitlaxayac — hips
Chonetl — dildo
Chonehuah — someone who has a dildo
Ēlchiquihuitl — breast/s
Ēlpantli — chest / bosom
Huēyāhuilnemiliztli—orgy, polyamorous sex, sexual openness
Ixpampa — [locative] in or at of the urethral meatus / pee hole
Machīhua — [reflexive] to masturbate (though unattested, this verb should be able to be used transitively, i.e., “to masturbate someone”)
Māhuia — [reflexive] to masturbate
Momāchīhuani — someone who masturbates
Momāhuiāni — someone who masturbates
Motemacani — someone who yields their body to others.
Nenepanoa — [reflexive] to copulate
Papachihui — to feel [sexually] satisfying / satisfied
Papatlahua — to get bigger, engorged [penis or clit]
Teca — to fuck
Tlacui — [intransitive] to fuck [in general, various people]
Tlacuihuani — an instrument for fucking; a fucker
Tlālticpacāyōtl — worldly, carnal pleasures
Tlanitlālia — [transitive] to put it in the bottom / back, i.e. to stick it in [s.o.’s] ass
Tzincamactli — butthole (lit. “mouth of the butt”)
Tzincuauhtetzotzona — to spank on the butt (with a paddle)
Tzincuehcuexactic — [adj.] having a bubble butt
Tzinco — [locative] in or out of the butt
Tzinnāmaca — [reflexive or transitive] to prostitute (lit. “butt-sell”)
Tzinquetza — to have sex “doggy style” or to present one’s ass to someone (lit. “to butt-lift”)
Tzintamalhuītequi — to spank on the butt (with one’s hand)
Tzintamalli — butt cheeks
Tzintamaltzontli — hair on the buttocks
Tzintlāntli — buttocks
Tzintlapāntinemi — to go around bare-assed
Tzintli — butt
Tzintzontli — hair on the butt
Tzincohuia — [bi-transitive] to pay someone for sex (“butt-purchase”)
Tzintopantic — [adj.] having a round butt
Tzintopoltic — [adj.] having a round butt
Tzintzayāna — [transitive] to pop someone’s cherry (lit. “to butt-split”)
Tzōyōtl — ass or asshole
Yecoa — [reflexive] to come, to climax
Yohyōma—[reflexive] to grind one’s ass and hips when/as if tribbing, scissoring, penetrating, or otherwise topping someone
Yohyōmmiqui — to be overwhelmed by ecstasy when one comes during sex
Gender Identities Similar to Trans / Nonbinary / Intersex
Chimouhqui — femme
Cihuācuepa — [reflexive] to transform into a woman
Cihuānacayoh — “someone with female genitalia”
Cihuanacayoh oquichtli — [unattested] “man with female genitalia”
Cihuānehnequi — [reflexive] to take on the [sexual] role of a woman
Cihuatic — like a woman
Cihuātilia — to be like a woman
Cihuātl tepōleh — intersex person or trans woman (lit. “woman with a [natal] penis”)
Oquichhuia — to live as / be / act like a man
Oquichnacayoh cihuātl — “male-bodied woman” / “woman with male genitalia”
Oquichti — to become a man
Oquichtic — like a man
Oquichtli tepileh — [unattested, but logical considering “cihuatl tepoleh”] intersex person or trans man (lit. “man with a [natal] vulva”)
Patlacheh — AFAB person who identifies as something other than a woman
Patlachtli — an element of sexuality and/or gender identity that roughly corresponds to masculinity, mascness, being a top / giver (lit. “something flat and long like a seed”)
Tepileh — someone with a vulva
Tepoleh — someone with a penis
Xochihuah — AMAB person who identifies as something other than a man
Xochitl — an element of sexuality and/or gender identity that roughly corresponds to femininity, femmeness, being a bottom / receiver (lit. “flower”)
Seduction
Camaxōchihuah — one who says seductive, sweet words
Cōcochtēca — [tr] to trick or seduce a woman
Cohconāhuia—[tr] to seduce with words
Māmatiloa — [tr] 1) to seduce or entrap someone; 2) to rub someone with your hand
Moyohualihtoāni [from yohualihtoa] — an enchanting spirit or demon
Nehnequi — [tr] to be wild with desire for someone
Nequi — [tr] to desire
Nequizzoh — desireable
Tēnxōchitzotzona — [tr] to seduce with words
Yōlēhua — [tr] to get someone hot and bothered, to seduce
Yōllapāna — [tr] to lead someone to indulge in sexual pleasures.
Romance
Motenectia — woo folks, make them want one
Motenenectia — to invite the wooing or flattery of others
Moyōlahcocqui [from yōlahcocui] — someone in love / in-love [adjective]
Moyōlēuhqui [from yōlēhua] — someone in love, someone driven by internal motion.
Moyōllapānqui [from yōllapāna] — in love
Tencaqui — [tr] to make fall in love
Tēnnāmiqui — [tr] to kiss
Tlazohtic — beloved
Tlazohtla — to love
Yōlahcocui — [reflexive] to fall in love, for one’s heart to be kindled; [transitive] to make someone fall in love with one, to kindle their heart.
Yōllohtetecuica — [intransitive] to have a throbbing heart
Yōllohtlapāna — [tr] to make someone fall in love
Sex Work and Sex Positivity
Ahāhuiltia — [reflexive] to spend one’s time on carnal pleasures; to be promiscuous
Ahāhuiyani — promiscuous [slutty] person; sex worker (lit. “merry person”)
Āhuiyaniti — to be a slutty person or sex worker
Cuecuēch — pervert, someone naughty, nasty or dissolute
Motzinnāmacani — sex worker (lit. “own-butt-seller”)
