Al mes décimo octavo llamaban izcalli. En este mes hacían fiesta al dios del fuego, que llamaban Xiuhtecuhtli o Ixcozauhqui. Hacían una imagen a su honra, de gran artificio, que parecía que echaba llamas de fuego de sí, y de cuatro en cuatro años en esta mesma fiesta, esclavos y captivos mataban a honra deste dios, y agujeraban las orejas a todos los niños que habían nacido en aquellos años, y dábanlos padrinos y madrinas.
\nA los diez días deste mes sacaban fuego nuevo a la media noche, delante la imagen de Xi\nuhtecuhtli muy curiosamente ataviada, y encendidos fuegos luego en amaneciendo, venían los mancebos y muchachos y traían diversos animales que habían cazado en los diez días pasados, unos de agua y otros de tierra, y ofrecíanlos a los viejos que tenían cargo de guardar a este dios. Y ellos echaban en el fuego a todos aquellos animales, para que se asasen, y daban a cada uno destos mozos y muchachos un tamal hecho de bledos, que ellos llamaban huauhquiltamalli, los cuales todo el pueblo ofrecía aquel día, y todos comían dellos por honra de la fiesta. Comíanlos muy calientes, y bebían y regocijábanse.
\nEn esta fiesta los años comunes no mataban a nadie; pero el año bisexto, que era de\ncuatro en cuatro años, mataban en esta fiesta captivos y esclavos, y la imagen de Xiuhtecuhtli, compuesta de la manera que arriba se dixo, con muchos y preciosos y curiosos atavíos. Hacían grandes y muchas cerimonias en la muerte déstos, muchas más que en las otras fiestas ya dichas. Esto está puesto a la larga en la historia desta fiesta.
\nDespués que habían muerto a estos esclavos y captivos y a la imagen de Ixcozauhqui, que es el dios del fuego, estaban aparejados y aderezados muy ricamente con ricos aderezos todos los principales y señores y personas ilustres, y el mesmo emperador, y comenzaban un areito\nde gran solemnidad y gravedad al cual llamaban netecuhitotiliztli, que quiere decir "areito de los señores". Éste solamente se hacía de cuatro en cuatro años, en esta fiesta. Este mesmo día muy de mañana, ante que amaneciese, comenzaban a agujerar las orejas a los niños y niñas, y echábanlos un casquete en la cabeza de plumas de papagayos, pegado con ocútzotl, que es resina de pino, etcétera.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 b |b 8\n|2 c |c 9\n|3 d |d 10\n|4 e |e 11\n|5 f |f 12\n|6 g |g 13\n|7 A |A 14\n|8 b |b 15\n|9 c |c 16\n|10 d |d 17\n|11 e |e 18\n|12 f |f 19\n|13 g |g 20\n|14 A |A 21\n|15 b |b 22\n|16 c |c 23\n|17 d |d 24\n|18 e |e 25\n|19 f |f 26\n|20 g |g 27
They called the eighteenth month Izcalli. During this month, they would celebrate a festival for the god of fire, whom they called Xiuhteuctli or Ixcozauhqui. They would make an image in his honor, very artfully, which looked like it was throwing flames of fire from its [body]. And every four years during this same festival, they would kill slaves and captives in honor of this god. And they would pierce the ears of all the children who had been born in those years and assign godfathers and godmothers to them.
\nOn the tenth day of this month, they would make a new fire at midnight in front of the image of Xiuhteuctli, which was attired in a very peculiar way; and after lighting the fires at dawn, the young men and the boys would come bringing a variety of animals that they had hunted during the ten preceding days: some were water [animals] while others were land [animals]. And they would offer them to the older men who were in charge of guarding this god. And these [older men] would throw all of these animals into the fire in order to roast them; and to each of these young men and boys they would give a tamale1 made of amaranth seeds, which they called huauhquiltamalli, which all the people would offer that day; and they would all eat them in honor of the festival. They would eat them while they were very hot and drink and make merry. During this festival in ordinary years, they would not kill anyone; but during the leap year, which happened every four years, they would kill captives and slaves during this festival, as well as the image [impersonator] of Xiuhteuctli, who would be dressed in the manner mentioned above, in much precious and peculiar attire. They would perform many great ceremonies when these people died, many more than during the other festivals already described. This is described at length in the account of this festival. After they had killed these slaves and captives and the image [impersonator] of Ixcozauhqui, who is the god of fire, all the nobles, lords, illustrious people, and the emperor himself would be very richly dressed and adorned with rich ornaments; and they would begin an areito of great solemnity and gravity that they called netecuhitotiliztli, which means “[ceremonial] areito of the lords.” This was only performed every four years, during this festival. That same day, very early in the morning before dawn, they would begin to pierce the boys’ and girls’ ears, and they would put on their heads a skullcap made of parrot feathers and glued with ocotzotl, which is pine resin, et cetera.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 b |b 8\n|2 c |c 9\n|3 d |d 10\n|4 e |e 11\n|5 f |f 12\n|6 g |g 13\n|7 A |A 14\n|8 b |b 15\n|9 c |c 16\n|10 d |d 17\n|11 e |e 18\n|12 f |f 19\n|13 g |g 20\n|14 A |A 21\n|15 b |b 22\n|16 c |c 23\n|17 d |d 24\n|18 e |e 25\n|19 f |f 26\n|20 g |g 27
“Tamale”: Sahagún uses the singular Hispanicized word tamal, from the Nahuatl tamalli.↩
The eighteenth month they named Izcalli. In this month they celebrated a feast to the god of fire, whom they called Xiuhtecutli, or Ixcoçauhqui. They made an image in his honor, with great artifice, which appeared to throw off flames of its own accord. And every four years, in this same feast, they slew slaves and captives in honor of this god. And they pierced the ears of all the children who had been born in those years, and they gave them godfathers and godmothers.
\nOn the tenth day of this month they made a new fire at midnight, before the image of Xiuhtecutli, [which was] very curiously adorned. And, the fire having been lit, then, in the morning, the young men and boys came, and they brought various animals which they had hunted in the ten preceding days—some water [animals] and some land [animals]. And they offered them to the old men who were charged with safeguarding this god. And these cast into the fire all of those animals, so that they would cook. And they gave each one of these young men and boys a tamal made with amaranth, which they called uauhquiltamalli, which everyone in the city offered upon that day. All ate of these in honor of the feast day. They ate them very hot, and they drank and made merry.
\nOn this feast, in ordinary years, they slew no one. But in the bissextile year, which was every four years, they slew, during this feast, captives and slaves and the impersonator of Xiuhtecutli, decorated in the manner which hath been told above, with many precious and curious adornments; they performed many great ceremonies upon the death of these [victims]—many more than on the other feasts already described. This is set forth at length in the account of this feast.
\nAfter they had slain these slaves and captives and the impersonator of Ixcoçauhqui, who is the god of fire, all the leading men and lords, the illustrious, and the emperor himself were decked and arrayed very richly in costly adornments, and they began a dance of great solemnity and gravity which they called netecuitotiliztli, which meaneth "Dance of the Lords." This was performed only every four years, during this feast. On this same day, very early in the morning, before dawn, they began to pierce the ears of the boys and girls, and they applied to their heads a wig of parrot feathers, pasted on with ocotzotl, which is pine resin. Etc.
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