Al nono mes llamaban tlaxochimaco. El primero día deste mes hacían fiesta a honra del dios de la guerra, llamado Huitzilopuchtli. Ofrecíanle en ella las primeras flores de aquel año.
\nLa noche antes desta fiesta ocupábanse todos en matar gallinas y perros para comer, en hacer tamales y otras cosas concernientes a la comida. Luego de mañanita, el día desta fiesta, los sátrapas de los ídolos componían con muchas flores a Huitzilopuchtli, y después de compuesta la estatua deste dios componían las estatuas de los otros dioses con guirnaldas y sartales y collares de flores, y luego componían todas las otras estatuas de los calpules y telpuchcales, y en las casas de los calpisques y principales y maceguales todos componían las estatuas que tenían en sus casas, con flores. Compuestas las estatuas [de] todos los dioses, luego comenzaban a comer aquellas viandas que tenían aparejadas de la noche pasada, y dende a un poco después de comer comenzaban una manera de baile o danza, en la cual los hombres nobles, con mujeres, juntamente bailaban, asidos de las manos y abrazados los unos con los otros, echados los brazos sobre el cuello el uno del otro. No danzaban a manera de areite, ni hacían los meneos como en el areite, sino\niban paso a paso al son de los que tanían y cantaban; los cuales estaban todos en pie, apartados un poco de los que bailaban, cerca de un altar redondo que llaman momuztli.
\nDuraba este cantar hasta la noche, no sólo en los patios de los cúes, pero en todas las casas de principales y maceguales. Tañían y cantaban con gran vocería hasta la noche, y los viejos y viejas bebían el uctli; pero ningún mancebo ni moza lo bebía. Y si alguno lo bebía, castigábanlo reciamente. Otras muchas cerimonias se hacían en ésta, que está a la larga, etcétera.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 d |d 12
\n|2 e |e 13\n|3 f |f 14
\n|4 g |g 15\n|5 A |A 16
\n|6 b |b 17\n|7 c |c 18
\n|8 d |d 19\n|9 e |e 20
\n|10 f |f 21\n|11 g |g 22
\n|12 A |A 23\n|13 b |b 24\n|14 c |c 25\n|15 d |d 26\n|16 e |e 27\n|17 f |f 28\n|18 g |g 29\n|19 A |A 30\n|20 b |b 31
They called the ninth month Tlaxochimaco. On the first day of this month, they would celebrate a festival in honor of the god of war, named Huitzilopochtli. During that [festival], they would offer him the first flowers of that year.
\nThe night before this festival, everyone would be busy killing chickens and dogs in order to eat them, making tamales and [doing] other things related to food. Then, very early in the morning on the day of the festival, the satraps of the idols would adorn Huitzilopochtli with many flowers; and once the statue of this god had been adorned, they would adorn the statues of the other gods with wreaths, strings, and necklaces of flowers; and then they would adorn all the statues in the calpules and in the telpuchcales,1 while in the houses of the calpixques,2 nobles, and macehuales,3 everyone would adorn with flowers the statues that they had in their homes. Once the statues of all the gods had been adorned, they would then begin to eat those dishes that they had prepared the night before; and soon after eating, they would begin a kind of dance or ball in which the noblemen would dance together with the women, holding hands while embracing each other, with their arms thrown around each other’s necks. They would not dance in the style of the areite,4 nor would they sway their bodies like they do in the areite, but they would go step by step to the sound of those who were playing and singing, all of whom would stand a little bit away from the ones who were dancing, near a round altar that they call momoztli. This singing would last until nighttime, not only in the patios of the cúes but also in all the houses of the nobles and macehuales. They would sing and play very loudly until nighttime, and the older men and women would drink octli; but no young man or maiden would drink it. And if anyone [of these younger people] drank it, they would severely punish him or her. Many other ceremonies would be performed during this [festival], which are described at length, et cetera.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 d |d 12
\n|2 e |e 13\n|3 f |f 14
\n|4 g |g 15\n|5 A |A 16
\n|6 b |b 17\n|7 c |c 18
\n|8 d |d 19\n|9 e |e 20
\n|10 f |f 21\n|11 g |g 22
\n|12 A |A 23\n|13 b |b 24\n|14 c |c 25\n|15 d |d 26\n|16 e |e 27\n|17 f |f 28\n|18 g |g 29\n|19 A |A 30\n|20 b |b 31
calpules . . . telpuchcales: Sahagún Hispanicizes and pluralizes the Nahuatl terms calpolli (community temple) and telpochcalli (school for young males).↩
calpixques: plural Hispanicized form of the Nahuatl term calpixqui (temple guardian).↩
macehuales: plural Hispanicized form of the Nahuatl term macehualli (commoner).↩
areite: Sahagún uses here areite for areito. See n24 above.↩
The ninth month they called Tlaxochimaco. On the first day of this month they held a feast in honor of the god of war, named Uitzilopochtli. In this they offered him the first flowers [grown] in that year.
\nOn the night before this feast, all busied themselves in killing fowls and dogs, in order to eat them, and in making tamales and other things concerned with food. Then, very early in the morning of this feast, the priests of the idols decked Uitzilopochtli with many flowers; and after the statue of this god was adorned, they decorated the statues of the other gods with garlands and strings and wreaths of flowers. And then they decked all the other statues in the calpulcos and young men's houses. And in the houses of the majordomos and leading men and common folk, all decorated with flowers the statues which they had in their houses.
\nHaving decorated the statues of all the gods, they then began to eat that fare which they had prepared the night before; and, a little after eating, they started a kind of dance in which the noblemen, with women, together danced grasping each other's hands, and the ones embracing the others, arms thrown about each other's necks. They did not dance solemnly in the manner of a ceremonial dance, nor did they go through the movements of a ceremonial dance; but they went step by step, to the rhythm of those who beat [the drums] and sang, all of whom were standing, a little to one side of those who danced, near a circular altar which they called momoztli.
\nThis chanting lasted until nightfall. Not only in the pyramid courtyards but in all the houses of the leading men and the common folk they beat [the drums] and sang with a great din until night. And the old men and the old women drank wine; but no young man nor young woman drank it. And if [any] of them did drink it, they punished them sorely. Many other ceremonies were performed in this, which are [described] at length. Etc.
\n","citation_key":"citation_anderson_spanish_eng_translation","citation":{"en":["Spanish-to-English by Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"],"es":["Español-al-inglés por Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"]}}]},"folio":"7r"}