Teponaztle Drum
/ˌtɛ.poʊˈnɑːst.li drʌm/noun
A traditional Mesoamerican slit drum, usually carved from a hollow log and played with mallets.
Did you know?Teponaztli drums were used in Aztec ritual music, dances, ceremonies, and warfare, and some were carved with supernatural or deity imagery.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
teponaztli
“A wooden slit drum or hollowed musical log used in Mesoamerica”
Before 16th Century
Nahuatl
teponazoa
“To hollow out or make something resonant; the proposed verbal source of teponaztli”
16th Century
Spanish
teponaztli
“A Native Mexican drum described by Spanish chroniclers after the conquest”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
teponaztle
“A variant Spanish rendering of the Nahuatl instrument name”
19th Century
English
teponaztle
“An English borrowing for the Mesoamerican slit drum”
Modern English
English
teponaztle drum
“A teponaztle, especially when clarification is needed for audiences unfamiliar with the Nahuatl term”