a little tale or story to make people laugh, a joke (see Molina); or, a fable (see Sahagún); a riddle (see Sahagún)
Nican tlami, in hin nenonotzalli, çaçanilli: in ie uecauh ic tlatlanonotzaia, veuetque, in impiel catca. = Here endeth this legend and fable, which was told in times past, and was in the keeping of the old people. (central Mexico, sixteenth-century)
zazanilli = riddles
Cequi zazanilli, in mitoa, zazan tleino, inic ma zazaniluia: in iuhqui ma monaoaltotoca = some conundrums which they tell and try to guess (central Mexico, sixteenth-century)
Ic ompoalli omome capitulo, vncan mjtoa: cequj ҫaҫanjlli, in mjtoa ҫaҫan tleino, injc moҫaҫanjlvia, in juhqujma monaoaltotoca = Forty-third Chapter. Here are told some riddles, the so-called "what-is-its" with which riddles are made as if they were mysteries (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
in Ezopó izazanillatol = Aesop's fable
Yni çaçanilli = The [sic; This] fable (sixteenth century, central Mexico)
Ic ompoalli omome capitulo, vncan mjtoa: cequj ҫaҫanjlli, in mjtoa ҫaҫan tleino, injc moҫaҫanjlvia, in juhqujma monaoaltotoca = Capitulo. 42. de algunos ҫaҫanjles de los muchos que vsa esta gente mexicano [sic]: que son como los que cosa y cosa de nuestra lengua (centro de Mexico, s. XVI)
in Ezopó izazanillatol = una fábula de Esopo
Zazanili ipampa ce tlatihuani ahquen oquipiaya yeyi cihuame. = Cuento sobre un hombre que tenía tres esposas. (s. XX, Milpa Alta)