(a loanword from Spanish)
a loud single-reed musical instrument
In Tlaxcala in 1553, six men were sent to Puebla to learn to play this instrument. The council spent the exorbitant sum of 150 pesos for this training, and it took two weeks.
Santiago de Vera, an "alcalde de corte" (probably a Spaniard or a creole), set out for "China" (i.e. the Philippines) in 1584 with four musicians who play wind instruments, but in the end only one chirimía player from Atlixxocan went with him. (central Mexico, early seventeenth 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)
cantoreztin ome capillia quimachtiaya chirimiaz chaneque Sant Francisco Papalotlan Diego Hernandez mayestro = dos capillas de cantores, habitantes de San Francisco Papalotla, estudiaban chirimías; Diego Hernández era el maestro (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)