drum, especially an indigenous upright cylindrical drum with a deerskin top and sometimes decorated with feathers; also, a very wide cypress tree that could be a visual reminder of the wide drum; finally, Huehuetl (or Huehuetzin, in the honorific version), was a personal name (attested as male) and the name of an important figure in the early days of Tollan, mentioned in the Historia Tolteca-Chichimeca.
Qujtitlantivi in vevetl, in aiacachtli, cujcanjme catca, qujpiquja, qujçaloaia, qujlnamjquja, qujioltevujaia in cujcatl: maviztic in qujpiquja. = They [the Tolteca] went about using the ground drum, the rattle stick. They were singers; they composed, originated, knew from memory, invented the wonderful songs which they composed. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
veuetl in qujtzotzona, aiacachotoque, aiacachquetztoque, aiotl qujtzotzona, aioujtectoque, aiochiuhtoque = they beat the upright drums; they sat beating gourd rattles; they sat rattling gourd rattles and beating turtle shells
auh in tlamamalli xoxouhquj veuetl in colotli tlachiuhtli coztic teucujtlaio = And as a burden for his back [he had] a blue skin drum fashioned on a frame, and [ornamented] with gold. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
veuetl in colotli tlachiuhtli, coztic teucujtlaio: = the skin drum upon a carrying frame, and decorated with gold. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
vevetl ayacachtli = upright drums; gourd rattles
in anoço teponaztli in anoço vevetl = log drums, or cylindrical drums.
(Mexico City, sixteenth century)
tlā çā yé pēhua in huēhuētl = just let the drum begin (Central Mexico, 1570–80)
Taueuetl, in tipochotl motlan moceoualhuiz, in maceoalli = You are a great cypress and ceiba: under you the people shall have cover, they shall have shade.
vevetl vmozivhavhtica hoquicavh yn iciuhavh = ...Huehuetl. He had married. He left his wife.... (Cuernavaca region, ca. 1540s)
tla xonahuia huehuetitlan xonmiquani = enjoy yourself, move over next to the drum (suggesting a possible alternate translation of a passage from the Cantares Mexicanos, Bierhorst, 248–49, verse 18)
auh ac colinjz ac qujiolitiz in vevetl, in aiacachtli, in vncan molnamjquj, in vncan moiocoia in teuatl, in tlachinolli = And who will move, who will put life into the drum, the gourd rattle where war is recalled (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
xicolinj xiciocoia in avillotl, in vevetl, in aiacachtli = Agitate, attend to the auillotl, the drum, the gourd rattle (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
xicmocujtlavi in vevetl, in aiacachtli yn ijxitiloca in atl, in tepetl = Care for the drum, for the gourd rattle which are the means of awakening the city (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Huehuetzin was the name of a Nonoalca Chichimeca who settled in Tula with three other Nonoalcas and four Tolteca Chichimecas, according to the Historia Tolteca Chichimeca or Anales de Cuauhtinchan. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
tlaya[sic] clarin nima chirimias nima teocalticpac motzotzona huelhuetl yhuan tetepitzintzin marselos = al frente iba el clarín, luego las chirimías, luego encima de los templos se tocaban los huehuetl y maceros pequeños (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
Yhuan ce quetzalhuehuetl = Y una guitarra [sic?] de pluma (Xochimilco, 1650)
Ontetl teponaztli no ontetl huehuetl no ontetl tlalpanhuehuetl = Dos teponastlis, dos guitarrasm[sic?],[sic] dos capotes (Tetepango, Hidalgo, 1586)
yn quauhtecomatl yhuan yn chalchihuitl yhuan xihuitl xelihuic monamacaz yn ipatiuh huentli mochihuaz yhuan ontetl huehuetl teponaztli = el tecomate de palo y los chalchihuites, y también donde se asentaban los años, se ha de partir y se ha de vender y el valor de ello es para limosna; y dos teponastlis (Xochimilco, 1577)
yhuan ce tlalpanhuehuetl huey yhuan xicalteconhuehuetl = y un teponastli grande que llaman guitarra [sic?] de la tierra, y también un teponastli que llaman sicalgegel
hue:huet = huehuetl
Pedro tapi:tza naja nic tzutzu:na ni hue:huet. = Pedro toca el pito y yo el tambor.
Niguixma:ti, mijtoti:gan temi:qui nu hue:huet. = Amigo, bailemos al son del tambor. (Sonsonate, El Salvador, Nahuat or Pipil, s. XX)
yuan y nonoualca chichimeca yn xelhuan yn ueuetzin yn quauhtzin yn citlalmacuetzin = junto con los nonoualca chichimeca: Xelhuan, Ueuetzin, Quauhtzin, Citlalmacuetzin (Quauhtinchan, s. XVI)
auh yn iquac omiqui yn uemac niman ya yc yaui yn tollan yn nonouallca yn xelhuan yn ueuetzin yn icxicouatl yn quetzalteueyac = Y cuando murió Uemac luego ya se van a Tollan los nonoualca Xelhuan y Ueuetzin [y los tolteca] Icsicouatl y Quetzalteueyac. (Quauhtinchan, s. XVI)