No creo que hay corazón tan duro que oyendo una crueldad tan inhumana, y más que bestial y endiablada como la que arriba queda puesta, no se enternezca y mueva a lágrimas y horror y espanto. Y ciertamente es cosa lamentable y horrible ver que nuestra humana naturaleza haya venido a tanta baxeza y oproprio que los padres, por sugestión del Demonio, maten y coman a sus hijos, sin pensar que en ello hacían ofensa ninguna, mas antes con pensar que en ello hacían gran servicio a sus dioses. La culpa desta tan gruel ceguedad que en estos desdichados niños se esecutaba no se debe tanto imputar a la crueldad de los padres, los cuales derramando muchas lágrimas y con gran dolor de sus corazones la exercitaban, cuanto al cruelísimo odio de nuestro antiquísimo enemigo Satanás, el cual con malignísima astucia los persuadió a tan infernal hazaña. ¡Oh, señor Dios, haced justicia deste cruel enemigo, que tanto mal nos hace y nos desea hacer! ¡Quitalde, señor, todo el poder de empecer!
\nI do not believe that there is a heart so hard that, upon hearing of such inhuman cruelty—and one that is beyond beastly and devilish, like the one described above—it is not touched and moved to tears, horror, and fear. And it is certainly a deplorable and horrible thing to see that our human nature has reached such baseness and disgrace that parents, persuaded by the demon, kill and eat their own children without thinking that by doing so they were committing any offense, but rather thinking that by doing so they were performing a great service to their gods. The fault of this utterly cruel blindness that was carried out on these unhappy children should not be attributed so much to the cruelty of their parents—who carried it out while shedding many tears and with great pain in their hearts—as to the most cruel hatred of our very ancient enemy, Satan, who, with extremely evil cunning, persuaded them to commit such an infernal act. Oh, Lord God, impose your justice upon this cruel enemy, who harms us so and wishes to harm us! Take away from him, Lord, all power to harm!
\nI believe there is no heart so hard as not to be moved, stirred to tears, horror, and fear upon hearing of a cruelty like the one set forth above, so inhuman, more than bestial and diabolical. And certainly it is a lamentable and horrible thing to see that our human nature had come to such degradation and infamy that the parents, through the prompting of the devil, would kill and eat their children, without thinking that they thereby committed any offense, but rather thinking they thereby performed a great service to their gods. The blame for this cruel2 blindness perpetrated3 on these unfortumte children should not be imputed so much to the parents, who practiced it shedding many tears and with great sorrow in their hearts, as to the most cruel hate of our most ancient enemy, Satan, who with most perverse cunning moved them to such an infernal deed. O Lord God, do justice upon this cruel enemy who does and would do us so much evil! Lord, take from him all power to harm!
\nlaments the rituals therein described.
\nNo creo, que ay coraçon tan duro, que oyendo, vna crueldad, tan inhumana, y mas que bestial y endiablada, como la que arriba queda puesta: no se enternezca, y mueua a lagrimas, y orror y espanto. Y ciertamente, es cosa lamẽtable, y orrible, ver que nr̃a humana naturaleza, aya venjdo a tanta baxeza, y oproprio: que los padres por sugestion del demonjo, maten y comã a sus hijos (sin pensar, que en ello hazian offensa njnguna) mas antes con pensar, que en ello hazian, gran serujcio a sus dioses. La culpa desta tan gruel ceguedad: que en estos desdichados njños, se esecutaua, no se deue tãto imputar a la cruel dad de los padres: los quales derramando muchas lagrimas, y con gran dolor de sus coraçones la exercitauan: quanta al cruelissimo odio, de nuestro antiquissimo enemjgo satanas: el qual con malignissima astucia, los persuadio a tan infernal hazaña. O señor dios, hazed justicia deste cruel enemigo, que tato mal nos haze, y nos desea hazer: qujtalde [sic] señor, todo el poder de empecer.
\n","citation_key":"citation_anderson_spanish_transcription","citation":{"en":["Spanish by Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"],"es":["Español por Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"]}}],"nahuatl_col":[{"id":"a9ac904e-9819-4a99-b4a6-9c9a3cb94b4b","choice":{"en":["Nahuatl by Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"],"es":["Náhuatl por Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"]},"type":"transcription","type_label":{"en":["nahuatl transcription"],"es":["transcripción al náhuatl"]},"column":"nahuatl","language":{"en":["Nahuatl"],"es":["Náhuatl"]},"language_code":"nci","subtitle":"(Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982)","markdown":"[ic]cen qujcuj, yn intlatquj, tlauhio: \n\naocmo quipatla, aocmo qujpapatla: yoan vltica qujnoahoanchichioa. \n\nAuh in tlamanj, in temanj, in male, in teacinj, no motlauhoça, mopotonja, motzomaia yn jma, yn icxi iztac totoliujtica.\n\nAuh no macoia, tlaçotlanquj tlauiztli, amo iccen macoia, çan ipã tlatotonjaia, çan ipan momalitotiaia: çan ic neci, çan ic itto, çan ic tetlamauiçoltia, çan ic ipan ilhujtla, çan ic tetlattitia, ynjc oaoano ymal: \n\nyoan ychimal ietiuh, ymac mantiuh, ic momamantiuh: yoan ichicaoaz ietiuh, chicaoaçotiuh, qujtilquetztiuh in chicaoaztli, chachalaca, cacalaca. \n\nAuh muchinti, iuh muchichioaia, yn ixqujchtin, maleque, in tlamanjme: yn jnmalhoan oahoanozque, yn iquac oacic ilhujtl tlacaxipeoaliztli. \n\n\n#### Jnic cempoali oce capitulo, ytechpa tlatoa in tlamauiztililiztli, yoan in nextlaoaliztli, in qujchioaia, yn jpan vel ic vntetl metztli, in mjtoaia, tlacaxipeoaliztli.","html":"[ic]cen qujcuj, yn intlatquj, tlauhio:
\naocmo quipatla, aocmo qujpapatla: yoan vltica qujnoahoanchichioa.
\nAuh in tlamanj, in temanj, in male, in teacinj, no motlauhoça, mopotonja, motzomaia yn jma, yn icxi iztac totoliujtica.
\nAuh no macoia, tlaçotlanquj tlauiztli, amo iccen macoia, çan ipã tlatotonjaia, çan ipan momalitotiaia: çan ic neci, çan ic itto, çan ic tetlamauiçoltia, çan ic ipan ilhujtla, çan ic tetlattitia, ynjc oaoano ymal:
\nyoan ychimal ietiuh, ymac mantiuh, ic momamantiuh: yoan ichicaoaz ietiuh, chicaoaçotiuh, qujtilquetztiuh in chicaoaztli, chachalaca, cacalaca.
\nAuh muchinti, iuh muchichioaia, yn ixqujchtin, maleque, in tlamanjme: yn jnmalhoan oahoanozque, yn iquac oacic ilhujtl tlacaxipeoaliztli.
\nFor this last time they took their red garments.
\nNo more did they change [garments]: no longer did they keep changing them. And with liquid rubber they ornamented [the victims] with stripes.
\nAnd the captors, those who had captured men, who had captives, who had taken men, also anointed themselves with ochre; they covered themselves with feather down; they covered their arms, their legs with white turkey feathers.
\nAnd also they were given costly devices; these were not given for always. It was only at the time that one warmed them in the sun; it was only at the time that one danced the captives’ dance. One only appeared with them; one only was seen with them; one only vaunted himself with them; one was with them only at the time it was a feast day; with them one only made known to men that his captive was a striped one.
\nAnd his shield went with him; it went resting on his arm. With it he went bending his knees. And his rattle stick went with him; he went rattling his rattle stick. He went planting the rattle stick forcefully [on the ground]; it rattled; it jingled.
\nAnd all were thus ornamented, all who had captives, who were takers of captives, whose captives would be striped when the feast day of Tlacaxipeualiztli arrived.
\nIn Mexico, its place as a spring festival, celebrated when the soil was prepared for planting, is well recognized. Those who wore the human skins represented the renewal of vegetation. See Alfonso Caso, The Aztecs, People of the Sun (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1958), pp. 49–51, where, besides, origin of the ceremony in Guerrero or Oaxaca is suggested.
\nThis most spectacular of ceremonies—the flaying of men—was said by Fray Diego de Durán to have been invented by Moctezuma I’s general Tlacaelel. See Historia de las Indias de Nueva-España y las islas de Tierra Firme, ed. José F. Ramírez, 2 vols. (Mexico: Imprenta de J. M. Andrade y F. Escalante, 1867–80; hereafter referred to as Durán, Historia), Vol. I, p. 174. Miguel Acosta Saignes, in Tlacaxipeualiztli, un complejo mesoamericano entre los caribes (Caracas: Universidad Central, 1950), passim, argues that it is an ancient complex and in various aspects very widespread.↩