Lyrics and music of Nanahual were conceived simultaneously as a unified creative process of music and poetry. Nanahual was inpired by a nahuatl legend that describes a remote time when the son was absent. Darkness and cold had invaded earth. The gods had met to decide who would be the one who will burn in fire to bring the sun and the light back. The only god who volunteered to sacrifice his life was Nanahual, who was ill, ugly, poor, and the less powerful among all gods. The composer suggests the use of lights and colors during the performance to reinforce the relationship between darkness and light in the poem.