Al décimo mes llamaban xócotl huetzi. En el primero día deste mes hacían fiesta al dios del fuego, llamado Xiuhtecuhtli o Ixcozauhqui. En esta fiesta echaban en el fuego vivos muchos esclavos, atados de pies y manos. Y antes que acabasen de morir, los sacaban arrastrando del fuego para sacar el corazón delante la imagen deste dios.
\nDurante la fiesta de tlaxochimaco iban al monte, cortaban un árbol de altura de veinte y cinco brazas, y traíanle arrastrando hasta el patio deste dios. Allí le escamondaban todo, y le levantaban enhiesto, y estaba así enhiesto hasta la vigilia vigilie de la fiesta. Entonce le tornaban a echar en tierra con mucho tiento y con muchos pertrechos para que no diese\ngolpe. La vigilia desta fiesta, bien de mañana, venían muchos carpinteros con sus herramientas, y mondábanle y hacíanle muy liso. Después de mondado y de haberle compuesto con muchas maneras de papeles, atábanle sogas y otros mecates, y levantábanle con muchas voces y muchos estruendos, y afixábanle muy bien.
\nDesque la viga o árbol estaba levantada y adornada con todos sus aparejos, luego los que tenían esclavos para echar en el fuego, vivos, aderezábanse con sus plumajes y atavíos ricos, y tiñíanse el cuerpo de amarillo, que era la librea del fuego. Y llevando sus captivos consigo, hacían areito todo aquel día hasta la noche.
\nDespués de haber velado toda aquella noche los captivos en el cu, y después de haber hecho muchas cerimonias con ellos, enpolvorizábanlos las caras con unos polvos que llaman yiauhtli para que perdiesen el sentido y no sintiesen tanto la muerte. Atábanlos los pies y las manos, y así atados poníanlos sobre los hombros y andaban con ellos como haciendo areito, en rededor de un gran fuego y gran montón de brasa. Así andando, íbanlos arrojando sobre el montón de brasas, agora uno, y desde a un poco otro. Y el que habían arrojado dexábanle quemar un buen intervalo y aún estando vivo y basqueando, sacábanle fuera, arrastrando, con cualque garabatu, y echábanle sobre el taxón, y abierto el pecho sacábanle el corazón. Desta manera padecían todos aquellos tristes cativos.
\nEstaba el árbol atado con muchas sogas de lo alto, como la jarcia de la nao está pendiente de\nla gavia. En lo alto dél estaba en pie la imagen de aquel dios, hecha de masa que llaman tzoalli.
\nAcabado el sacrificio ya dicho, arremetían con gran ímpetu todos los mancebos. Otras muchas cerimonias hacían, según a la larga está escripto adelante en esta fiesta.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 c |c 1 Augustus habet dies XXXI. Petri ad vincula.
\n|2 d |d 2 Bernardi abbatis.\n|3 e |e 3
\n|4 f |f 4\n|5 g |g 5
\n|6 A |A 6\n|7 b |b 7
\n|8 c |c 8\n|9 d |d 9
\n|10 e |e 10\n|11 f |f 11
\n|12 g |g 12\n|13 A |A 13
\n|14 b |b 14\n|15 c |c 15
\n|16 d |d 16\n|17 e |e 17
\n|18 f |f 18\n|19 g |g 19
\n|20 A |A 20
They called the tenth month Xocotl Huetzi. On the first day of this month, they would celebrate a festival for the god of fire, called Xiuhteuctli or Ixcozauhqui. During this festival, they would throw many slaves into the fire [while they were still] alive, with their hands and feet bound. And before they had finished dying, they would drag them out of the fire in order to tear out their hearts in front of the image of this god.
\nDuring the feast of Tlaxochimaco, they would go to the bush, cut down a tree that was twenty-five fathoms high,2 and drag it all the way to the patio of this god. There they would prune it bare of all of its branches and raise it vertically, and it would remain standing up like that until the eve3 of the festival. Then they would lower it again very carefully to the ground, using many tools so that it would not come crashing down. Very early in the morning on the eve of this festival, many carpenters would arrive with their tools and prune and trim it until it was very smooth. After having trimmed it and adorned it with many kinds of papers, they would tie it with ropes and other mecates,4 and raise it up with much shouting and much noise until they had it very firmly mounted in place. Once the beam, or tree, was raised and adorned with all of its ornaments, all those who had slaves to throw alive into the fire would then adorn themselves with their rich plumages and attires, and they would stain their bodies yellow, which was the livery of the fire. And taking their captives with them, they would perform an areito all day long until nighttime. After the captives had kept vigil all night at the cu, and after having performed many ceremonies with them, they would powder [the captives’] faces with some powders that they call iyauhtli, so that they might lose consciousness and not suffer their death so much. They would bind them foot and hand, and sling them tied in this way over their shoulders; and they would walk with them, as if performing an areito, around a great fire and a great mound of live embers. Parading like that, they would throw them onto the mound of embers: now one and then, after a little while, another. And they would let the one whom they had thrown burn for a good while; and while he was still alive and convulsing, they would take him out, dragging him with whatever hook [they happened to have at hand], and throw him over the sacrificial stone. After they had opened up his chest, they would tear out his heart. All those miserable captives would suffer in this way. The tree would be fastened from on high with many ropes, just like the rigging of a ship as it hangs from the topsail. Standing at the top of it would be the image of that god, made with the dough that they call tzoalli. When the sacrifice described above was over, all the young men would charge with great force [toward the statue]. They would perform many other ceremonies during this festival,5 as it is written at length below.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 c |c 1 Augustus habet dies XXXI. Petri ad vincula.
\n|2 d |d 2 Bernardi abbatis.\n|3 e |e 3
\n|4 f |f 4\n|5 g |g 5
\n|6 A |A 6\n|7 b |b 7
\n|8 c |c 8\n|9 d |d 9
\n|10 e |e 10\n|11 f |f 11
\n|12 g |g 12\n|13 A |A 13
\n|14 b |b 14\n|15 c |c 15
\n|16 d |d 16\n|17 e |e 17
\n|18 f |f 18\n|19 g |g 19
\n|20 A |A 20
Marginal note: Augustus habet dies XXXI. Petri ad vincula (August has thirty-one days. [Feast] of Peter in Chains).↩
“Twenty-five fathoms high”: de altura de veinte y cinco brazas. The Spanish braza was slightly smaller than the English fathom.↩
“Eve”: vigilia vigilie (Latin), literally, “the vigil of the vigil/eve of the eve.”↩
mecates: Here Sahagún uses the plural Hispanicized form of the Nahuatl word mecatl (rope).↩
Marginal note: Bernardi abbatis ([Feast] of Bernard the Abbot).↩
The tenth month they named Xocotl uetzi. On the first day of this month, they observed a feast to the god of fire, named Xiuhtecutli or Ixcoçauhqui. On this feast they cast into the fire, alive, many slaves, bound hand and foot, and before they had quite died, they took them forth, dragging [them] out of the fire, in order to tear out their hearts before the image of this god.
\nDuring the feast of Tlaxochimaco, they went forth into the forest [and] cut a tree of twenty-five fathoms' height and brought it, dragging it, to the courtyard of this god. There they pruned off all its branches and raised it upright, and it remained thus standing until the eve of the feast. Then they again laid it upon the earth with much caution and [using] many devices that it might not bump [the ground]. On the day before this feast, early in the morning, many carpenters came with their tools, and they trimmed it and made it very smooth. After having trimmed it and decorated it with many kinds of papers, they tied ropes and other cords to it and raised it up with much shouting and din, and they made it firm.
\nAs soon as the beam or tree was raised and adorned with all of its finery, then those who had slaves to cast alive into the flames adorned themselves with their plumage and rich ornaments, and they stained their bodies yellow, which was the livery of fire; and, taking their captives with them, they performed a dance all that day, until nightfall.
\nAfter the captives had kept vigil all that night on the pyramid, and after having performed many ceremonies with them, they cast into their faces some powder which they call yiauhtli, that they might lose their sense of feeling and not suffer so greatly [the pains of] their death. They tied them hand and foot, and, thus bound, they slung them over their shoulders, and walked with them as if performing a dance about the edge of a great fire and tall mound of live coals. Thus proceeding, they went casting them upon the mound of coals—now one, and, after a little, another. And him whom they had cast they let burn for a good while; and, still alive and tossing, they took him forth, dragging him out with something like a hook, and cast him upon the sacrificial stone. And, having opened his breast, they tore out his heart. In this manner suffered all those unhappy captives.
\nThe tree was made fast by many ropes from the top, as the rigging of a ship hangeth from the topsail. On the top of this stood upright the statue of that god, made of a dough which they call tzoalli. When the aforesaid sacrifice had been offered, all the young men assailed [the statue] with great vigor. Many other ceremonies were enacted, as hath been written at length below, in this feast.
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