Miccailhuitl
/mikːai̯ˈwitɬ/noun
A Nahua festival or ritual observance honoring the dead.
Did you know?Miccailhuitl is often translated as “festival of the dead,” but it referred to ritual observances in the Nahua calendar rather than simply a single modern-style holiday.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Conquest Nahuatl
Classical Nahuatl
miccāilhuitl
“A festival or ceremonial period associated with the dead; formed from micqui, “dead person,” and ilhuitl, “festival” or “day.””
16th Century
Nahuatl
miccailhuitl
“A Nahuatl term recorded in colonial-era descriptions of Indigenous ritual calendars and observances for the dead.”
16th Century
Spanish
miccailhuitl
“A loanword retained by Spanish chroniclers when describing Nahua religious ceremonies, rather than replaced by a fully equivalent Spanish term.”
20th Century
English
Miccailhuitl
“Used in English-language scholarship and popular writing as the name of a pre-Hispanic Nahua observance connected with the dead.”
Modern English
English
Miccailhuitl
“A historical and cultural term for Nahua festivals or ritual observances honoring the dead.”
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