The metaphor in xochitl in cuicatl (flower and song) is used to represent poetry, art, and truth in the Mesoamerican world, particularly within the Nahua cultural sphere of central Mexico. The corpus of Nahuatl songs composed within this creative tradition was recorded in the amoxtli (books) and oral literature of pre-colonial Mexico, including the likes of poets Tecayehuatzin, Macuilxochitzin, and, greatest of all, Nezahualcoyotl, and continues up through the present day with poets such as Natalio Hernández.

NEZAHUALCOYOTL, born 1-Rabbit (April 28) 1402 in the altepetl (city-state) of Tezcoco, was a scholar, tlamatini (philosopher), warrior, architect, poet, and tlatoani (ruler). Best known as a brilliant and sensitive poet, champion of infrastructure projects, and coalition builder whose military conquests led to the rise of the Aztec Triple Alliance, Nezahualcoyotl’s monumental legacy remained robust well after his death on 6-Flint (June 4) 1472.