Al séptimo mes llamaban tecuhilhuitontli. En el primero día deste mes hacían fiesta a la diosa de la sal, que llamaban Huixtocíhuatl. Decían que era hermana mayor de los dioses tlaloques. Mataban a honra desta diosa una mujer compuesta con los ornamentos que pintaban a la misma diosa.
\nLa vigilia desta fiesta cantaban y danzaban todas las mujeres, viejas y mo\nzas y muchachas. Iban asidas de unas cuerdas cortas que llevaban en las manos, la una por el un cabo y la otra por el otro. A estas cuerdas llamaban xochimécatl. Llevaban todas guirnaldas de axenxos desta tierra, que se llama iztáuhyatl. Guiábanlas unos viejos, y regían al canto. En medio dellas iba la mujer que era la imagen desta diosa, y que había de morir, aderezada con ricos ornamentos. La noche antes de la fiesta velaban las mujeres con la misma que había de morir, y cantaban y danzaban toda la noche. Venida la mañana, aderezábanse todos los sátrapas y hacían un areito muy solemne, y todos los que estaban presentes al areito tenían en la mano aquellas flores que se llaman cempoalxóchitl. Así bailando llevaban muchos cativos al cu de Tláloc, y con ellos a la mujer que había de morir, que era imagen de la diosa Huixtocíhuatl. Allí mataban primero a los captivos, y después a ella.
\nOtras muchas cerimonias se hacían en esta fiesta, y también gran borrachería, todo lo cual está a la larga puesto en la historia desta fiesta.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 f |f 2 Marcelinii, Petri, atqe Eras.
\n|2 g |g 3\n|3 A |A 4
\n|4 b |b 5\n|5 c |c 6
\n|6 d |d 7\n|7 e |e 8
\n|8 f |f 9\n|9 g |g 10
\n|10 A |A 11\n|11 b |b 12
\n|12 c |c 13\n|13 d |d 14
\n|14 e |e 15\n|15 f |f 16
\n|16 g |g 17\n|17 A |A 18\n|18 b |b 19\n|19 c |c 20\n|20 d |d 21
They called the seventh month Tecuilhuitontli. On the first day of this month, they would celebrate a festival for the goddess of salt, whom they called Huixtocihuatl. They said that she was the older sister of the Tlaloque gods. In honor of this goddess, they would kill a woman who was dressed with the ornaments with which they depicted the goddess herself.
\nAll the women—the older ones, the maidens, and the young girls—would sing and dance on the eve of this festival. They were held by some short ropes that they carried in their hands: one would hold one end of the rope, while another one would hold the other end. They called these ropes xochimecatl. They would all wear garlands of wormwood2 [flowers] from this land, which is called iztauhyatl. Some older men would guide them and lead the singing. The woman who was the image of this goddess, and who was to die, would go in the middle of the women dressed with rich ornaments. The night before the festival, the women would keep vigil with the woman herself who was to die, and they would sing and dance all night long. At daybreak, all the satraps would dress up and perform a very solemn areito,3 and everyone present at the areito would hold in their hands those flowers that are called cempohualxochitl. Dancing in this way, they would bring many captives to the cu of Tlaloc and, with them, the woman who was about to die, who was the image of the goddess Huixtocihuatl. There, they would kill first the captives and then her. Many other ceremonies would be performed during this festival, and there was also a great drunken revelry, all of which is presented at length in the account of this festival.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 f |f 2 Marcelinii, Petri, atqe Eras.
\n|2 g |g 3\n|3 A |A 4
\n|4 b |b 5\n|5 c |c 6
\n|6 d |d 7\n|7 e |e 8
\n|8 f |f 9\n|9 g |g 10
\n|10 A |A 11\n|11 b |b 12
\n|12 c |c 13\n|13 d |d 14
\n|14 e |e 15\n|15 f |f 16
\n|16 g |g 17\n|17 A |A 18\n|18 b |b 19\n|19 c |c 20\n|20 d |d 21
Marginal note: Marcelinii, Petri, atq. Eras. ([Feast] of Marcellinus, Peter, and Erasmus [that is, Elmo]).↩
“Wormwood”: axenxos.↩
“Perform a very solemn areito”: hacían un areito muy solemne. Sahagún uses the borrowed Taíno word areito to indicate the ritual, collective character of the Mexican dances (Nahuatl nehtotiliztli).↩
The seventh month they named Tecuilhuitontli. On the first day of this month they celebrated a feast to the goddess of salt, whom they called Uixtociuatl. They said that she was elder sister of the Tlaloc gods. In honor of this goddess they slew a woman decked in the ornaments with which they represented the same goddess.
\nOn the eve of this feast, all the old women sang and danced, as well as the young women and girls. They went held by some short cords which they carried in their hands, one [taking] one end, another the other [end]. These cords they named xochimecatl. They all wore garlands of wormwood [flowers] of this land, which are called iztauhiatl. A number of old men led them and ordered the singing. Among them went the woman who was the likeness of this goddess and who was to die arrayed in rich ornaments.
\nOn the night before the feast, the women, with the same one who was to die, kept vigil; and they sang and danced all night long. At break of day, all the priests arrayed themselves and performed a very solemn dance. And all who were present at the dance held in their hands those flowers which are called cempoalxochitl. Thus dancing, they took many captives to the Pyramid of Tlaloc, and, with them, the woman who was to die, who was the likeness of the goddess Uixtociuatl. There they slew first the captives and then her.
\nMany other ceremonies were performed during this feast; and also [there was] great drunkenness, all of which is set forth at length in the account of this feast, fol. 76.
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