Al sexto mes llamaban etzacualiztli. En el primero día deste mes hacían fiesta a los dioses de la pluvia. A honra destos dioses ayunaban los sacerdotes destos dioses cuatro días antes de llegar a su fiesta, que son los cuatro postreros días del mes pasado.
\nPara la celebración desta fiesta los sátrapas de los ídolos y sus ministros iban por junzas a Citlaltépec, que se hacen muy grandes y muy hermosas en un agua que se llama Temilco. De allí las traían a México, para adornar los cúes. Por el camino donde venían nadie parecía: todos los caminantes se abscondían de miedo dellos, y si con alguno encontraban, tomábanle cuanto traía, hasta dexalle en pelo, y si se defendía maltratábanle de tal manera que le dexaban por muerto. Y aunque llevase\nel tributo para Motecuzoma se lo tomaban. Y por esto ninguna pena les daban, porque por ser ministros de los ídolos tenían libertad para hacer estas cosas y otras peores, sin pena ninguna. Otras muchas cerimonias hacían los sátrapas del templo en estos cuatro días, que están a la larga pu\nestas en la historia desta fiesta.
\nAllegada la fiesta de etzalcualiztli, todos hacían una manera de puchas o poleadas, que se llama etzalli, comida delicada a su gusto. Todos comían en su casa y daban a los que venían, y hacían mil locuras en este día. En esta mesma fiesta a los ministros de los ídolos que habían hecho algún defecto en el servicio dellos, castigábanlos terriblemente en el agua de la laguna, tanto que los dexaban por muertos, y así los dexaban allí a la orilla del agua. De allí los tomaban sus padres o parientes y los\nllevaban a sus casas medio muertos.
\nEn este mismo mes mataban muchos cativos y otros esclavos, compuestos con los ornamentos destos dioses llamados tlaloques, por cuya honra los mataban en su mismo cu. Los corazones destos que mataban íbanlos a echar en el remolino o sumidero de la laguna de México, que entunces se vía claramente. Otras muchas cerimonias se hacían, etcétera.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 g |g 13
\n|2 A |A 14\t\n|3 b |b 15
\n|4 c |c 16\t\n|5 d |d 17
\n|6 e |e 18\t\n|7 f |f 19
\n|8 g |g 20\t\n|9 A |A 21
\n|10 b |b 22\t\n|11 c |c 23
\n|12 d |d 24\t\n|13 e |e 25\t\n|14 f |f 26\t\n|15 g |g 27\t\n|16 A |A 28\t\n|17 b |b 29\t\n|18 c |c 30\t\n|19 d |d 31\n|20 e |e 1 Junius habet dies XXX.
They called the sixth month Etzalcualiztli. On the first day of this month, they would celebrate a festival for the gods of rain. To honor these gods, these gods’ priests would fast for four days before the beginning of their festival, which are the four last days of the previous month.
\nIn order to celebrate this festival, the satraps of the idols and their ministers would go to Citlaltepec to gather reeds, which grow very large and beautiful in a body of water called Temilco. From there, they would bring them to Mexico, to adorn the cúes1 [with them]. No one would appear on the road where they were coming from: all the wayfarers would hide from them in fear; and if [the satraps and ministers] met someone along the way, they would take away whatever the person had on himself, until they left him naked; and if this person defended himself, they would rough him up in such a way that they would leave him for dead. And even if he was bringing the tribute for Moteuczoma, they would take it away from him. And they would not punish them at all for this, because they were ministers of the idols and were at liberty to commit these deeds—and even others that were worse—without any punishment. The satraps of the temple would perform many other ceremonies during these four days, which are presented at length in the account of this festival. When the festival of Etzalcualiztli began, everyone would make a type of porridge or polenta called etzalli, a delicate dish, according to their taste. Everyone would eat at home and would give [some porridge] to those who came [to their home]; and they would perform a thousand follies that day. During this very festival, those ministers of the idols who had committed some error while performing their service would be terribly punished in the water of the lagoon, so much so that they would leave them for dead; and so they would leave them there at the water’s edge. Their parents or their relatives would take them from there and carry them, half dead, to their homes. That same month, they would kill many captives and other slaves, who were dressed with the ornaments of these gods named Tlaloques, in whose honor they would kill them in their own cu. They would go and throw the hearts of those whom they killed in the whirlpool, or eddy, of Mexico’s lagoon, which at the time could still be clearly seen. Many other ceremonies would be performed, et cetera.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 g |g 13
\n|2 A |A 14\t\n|3 b |b 15
\n|4 c |c 16\t\n|5 d |d 17
\n|6 e |e 18\t\n|7 f |f 19
\n|8 g |g 20\t\n|9 A |A 21
\n|10 b |b 22\t\n|11 c |c 23
\n|12 d |d 24\t\n|13 e |e 25\t\n|14 f |f 26\t\n|15 g |g 27\t\n|16 A |A 28\t\n|17 b |b 29\t\n|18 c |c 30\t\n|19 d |d 31\n|20 e |e 1 Junius habet dies XXX.
cúes: plural Hispanicized form of the Maya word cu (temple).↩
The sixth month they called Etzalqualiztli. On the first day of this month they observed a feast to the rain gods. In honor of these gods, the priests of these gods fasted before their feast came for four days, which are the four last days of the previous month.
\nIn order to celebrate this feast, the priests and servants of the idols went to Citlaltepec for reeds; for they grew very large and handsome in the waters called Temilco. From there they brought them to Mexico to adorn the pyramids. On the road which they took, no one appeared; all wayfarers hid themselves, for fear of them. And if they came upon one, they took from him whatever he had, even leaving him naked. And if he resisted, they belabored him such that they left him for dead. And even if he bore tribute for Moctezuma, they took it from him. And for this they visited upon them no punishment; because, since they were servants of the idols, they had license to do these things, and others [even] worse, with no punishment. Many other ceremonies the priests of the temple performed in these four days, which are put forth at length in the account of the feast.
\nOn the arrival of the feast of Etzalqualiztli, everyone made a kind of gruel or porridge which is called etzalli (a delicious food, which they liked well). All ate in their houses, and gave [of it] to those who came, and did a thousand follies on this day.
\nOn this same feast, they punished terribly servants of the idols guilty of committing some fault in their service; [they mishandled] them in the water of the lagoon to such a point that they left them for dead. And thus they left them there at the edge of the water. From there their parents or relatives took them and carried them to their houses, half dead.
\nOn this same feast they slew many captives and other slaves, arrayed in the ornaments of these gods named Tlalocs, in whose honor they slew them on their own pyramid. The hearts of those whom they killed they went to cast into the whirlpool or drain of the Lake of Mexico, which at that time was clearly to be seen. Many other ceremonies were performed. Etc.
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