Al mes décimo sesto llamaban atemuztli. En este mes hacían fiesta a los dioses de la pluvia, porque por la mayor parte en este mes comenzaba a tronar y hacer demuestras de agua. Y los sátrapas de los tlaloques comenzaban a hacer penitencias y sacrificios porque veniese el agua.
\nCuando comenzaba a tronar, los sátrapas de los tlaloques, con gran diligencia, o\nfrecían copal y otros perfumes a sus dioses, y atadas las estatuas dellos, decían que\nentonce venían para dar agua. Y los populares hacían votos de hacer las imágines de los montes que se llaman tepictli, porque son dedicadas aquellos dioses del agua. Y\na los deciséis días deste mes, todos los populares aparejaban ofrendas para ofrecer\na Tláloc, y estos cuatro días hacían penitencia, y absteníanse los hombres de las mujeres y las mujeres de los hombres. Llegadas a la fiesta, que la celebraban el último día deste mes, cortaban tiras de papel y atábanlas a unos varales, desde abaxo hasta arriba, y hincábanlos en los patios de sus casas, y hacían las imágines de los montes de tzoal. Hacíanles los dientes de pepitas de calabaza y los ojos de unos frisoles que se llaman ayecotli, y luego los ofrecían sus ofrendas de comida y los adoraban.
\nDespués de haberlos velado y tañido y cantado, abríanlos por los pechos con un tzotzopaztli, que es instrumento con que texen las mujeres, casi a manera de machete, y sacábanles el corazón y cortábanles las cabezas. Y después repartían todo el cuerpo entre sí; comíanselo. Y otros ornamentos con que los tenían aparejados, quemábanlos en los patios de sus casas.
\nHecho esto llevaban todas estas cenizas y los aparejos con que los habían servido a los oratorios que llaman ayauhcalco. Y luego comenzaban a comer y a beber, y a regocijarse, y ansí concluían la fiesta. Otras muchas cerimonias se quedan por decir, que están a la larga en la historia desta fiesta.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 d |d 29 Saturnini marti.\n|2 e |e 30\n|3 f |f 1 December habet dies XXXI.\n|4 g |g 2\n|5 A |A 3\n|6 b |b 4\n|7 c |c 5\n|8 d |d 6\n|9 e |e 7\n|10 f |f 8\n|11 g |g 9\n|12 A |A 10\n|13 b |b 11\n|14 c |c 12\n|15 d |d 13\n|16 e |e 14\n|17 f |f 15\n|18 g |g 16\n|19 A |A 17\n|20 b |b 8 Expectatio beate Marie.
They called the sixteenth month Atemoztli. During this month, they would celebrate a festival for the rain gods, because it often happened in this month that it would begin to thunder and threaten rain. And the satraps of the Tlaloques would begin to perform penance and sacrifices so that the rain might come.
\nWhen it would begin to thunder, the satraps of the Tlaloques would very diligently offer copal2 and other perfumes to their gods and to all their statues. They said that then [the Tlaloques] would3 come to give water. And the common people would make vows to make the images of the mountains that are called tepictli, because they are dedicated to those gods of water. And on the sixteenth day of this month, all the common people would prepare offerings to be given to Tlaloc; and they would perform penance during these four days, and men would abstain from women and women from men. When the time of the festival arrived, which they celebrated on the last day of this month, they would cut strands of paper and tie them to some poles, from the bottom to the top, which they would erect in the patios of their houses. And they would make the images of the mountains out of tzoalli. They would make their teeth out of squash seeds and their eyes out of some beans called ayecohtli; and then they would present their food offerings before them and worship them. After keeping a vigil over [the images] by playing music and singing for them, they would open them up through their chests with a tzotzopaztli, which is an instrument that women use to weave—almost like a machete—and they would tear out their hearts and cut off their heads. They would then distribute all of the [image’s] body among themselves and eat it. And in the patios of their houses, they would burn other ornaments with which they had adorned the [images]. Having done this, they would take all these ashes and the instruments with which they had served [the images] to the shrines that they call ayauhcalco. And then they would begin eating and drinking and merrymaking; and that is how they would conclude the festival. Many other ceremonies remain left to be described, which are found at length in the account of this festival.4
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 d |d 29 Saturnini marti.\n|2 e |e 30\n|3 f |f 1 December habet dies XXXI.\n|4 g |g 2\n|5 A |A 3\n|6 b |b 4\n|7 c |c 5\n|8 d |d 6\n|9 e |e 7\n|10 f |f 8\n|11 g |g 9\n|12 A |A 10\n|13 b |b 11\n|14 c |c 12\n|15 d |d 13\n|16 e |e 14\n|17 f |f 15\n|18 g |g 16\n|19 A |A 17\n|20 b |b 8 Expectatio beate Marie.
Marginal note: Saturnini marti. ([Feast] of Saturninus the Martyr).↩
“Copal”: Hispanicized form of the Nahuatl copalli, an aromatic tree resin; this word is now used in English.↩
Marginal note: December habet dies XXXI (December has thirty-one days).↩
Marginal note: Expectatio beate Marie (the Expectation of the Blessed [Virgin] Mary).↩
The sixteenth month they named Atemoztli. In this month they celebrated a feast to the rain gods, because for the most part in this month it began to thunder and to threaten rain; and the priests of the Tlalocs began to do penances and to offer sacrifices, so that the rains would come.
\nWhen it began to thunder, the priests of the Tlalocs, with great industriousness, offered copal and other fragrances to their gods and to all the statues of these. They said that then they came to give rain. And the common folk made vows to fashion the images of the mountains, which are called tepictli, because they are dedicated [to] those gods of the rain. And on the sixteenth day of this month, all the common folk prepared offerings to offer before Tlaloc. And [during] these four days they performed penances, and the men abstained from women, and the women from men.
\nHaving come to [the time of] the feast, which they celebrated on the last day of this month, they cut lengths of paper, and they bound them to a number of poles, from bottom to top. And they set them up in the courtyards of their houses and made the images of the mountains of tzoalli. They fashioned for them their teeth of squash seeds, and their eyes of some beans which are named aiecotli. And then they offered them their offerings of food, and they worshipped them.
\nAfter having kept a vigil for them, and beaten drums and sung for them, they opened their breasts with a tzotzopaztli, which is an instrument with which the women weave, almost like a machete; and they took out their hearts and struck off their heads. And later they divided up all the body among themselves and ate it; and the ornaments with which they had arrayed them, they burned in the courtyards of their houses.
\nThis done, they carried all these ashes and the ornaments with which they had provided them to the shrines which they call aiauhcalco. And then they began to eat and drink, and to make merry. And thus ended the feast. Many other ceremonies remain to be related, which are [set down] at length in the account of this feast.
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