Al undécimo mes llamaban ochpaniztli. El primero día deste mes hacían fiesta a la madre de los dioses, llamada Teteuinna o Toci, que quiere decir "nuestra abuela". Bailaban a honra desta diosa, en silencio, y mataban una mujer, en gran silencio, vestida con los ornamentos que pintaban a esta diosa.
\nCinco días antes que comenzase este mes, cesaban todas las fiestas y regocijos del mes pasado. Entrando este mes, bailaban ocho días sin cantar y sin teponaztli, los cuales pasados salía la mujer que era imagen de la diosa que llaman Teteuinna, compuesta con los ornamentos con que pintaban a la misma diosa. Y salían gran número de mujeres con ella, especialmente las médicas y parteras, y partíanse en dos bandos, y peleaban apedreándose con pellas de pachtli y con hojas de tunas, y con pellas hechas de hojas de espadañas, y con flores que llaman cempoalxóchitl. Este regocijo duraba cuatro días. Acabado estas cerimonias y otras desta calidad, procuraban que aquella mujer no entendiese que había de morir, porque no llorase ni se entristeciese, porque lo tenían por mal agüero. Venida la noche en que había de morir, ataviábanla muy ricamente y hacíanla entender que la llevaban para que dormiese con ella algún gran señor, y llevábanla con gran silencio al cu donde había de morir. Subida arriba, tomábala uno a cuestas, espaldas con\nespaldas, y de presto la cortaban la cabeza, y luego la desollaban, y con [sic] mancebo robusto y vestíase el pellejo.
\nEste que vestía el pelejo desta que mataban, llevábanle luego con mucha solemnidad, y acompañándole de muchos cativos al cu de Huitzilopuchtli. Allí, este mesmo, delante de Huitzilopuchtli, sacaba el corazón a cuatro cativos, y los demás dexábalos para que los matase el sátrapa.
\nEn este mes hacía alarde el señor de toda la gente de guerra y de los mancebos que nunca habían ido a la guerra. A éstos daba armas y divisas, y asentaban por soldados, para que de allí adelante fuesen a la guerra. Otras muchas cerimonias se hacían en esta fiesta, que están a la larga puestas en su historia.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 b |b 21
\n|2 c |c 22\n|3 d |d 23\n|4 e |e 24\n|5 f |f 25\n|6 g |g 26\n|7 A |A 27\n|8 b |b 28\n|9 c |c 29\n|10 d |d 30\n|11 e |e 31\n|12 f |f 1 September habet dies XXX.\n|13 g |g 2\n|14 A |A 3\n|15 b |b 4\n|16 c |c 5\n|17 d |d 6\n|18 e |e 7\n|19 f |f 8\n|20 g |g 9
They called the eleventh month Ochpanizitli. On the first day of this month, they would celebrate a festival for the mother of the gods, called Teteoh innan or Toci, which means “our grandmother.” They would dance in honor of this goddess in silence, and in great silence they would kill a woman who was dressed with the ornaments with which they depicted this goddess.
\nFive days before this month began, all the festivals and merrymaking of the past month would end. As this month began, they would dance for eight days without singing and without the teponaztli. Once these [days] had passed, the woman who was the image of the goddess whom they call Teteoh innan would come out dressed with the ornaments with which they depicted the same goddess. And a great number of women would come out with her, especially the female healers and midwives; and they would divide themselves in two teams and fight, pelting each other with balls of pachtli, with leaves from the prickly pear cactus, with balls made from the leaves of cattails, and with the flowers that they call cempohualxochitl. This merrymaking would last for four days. Once these ceremonies and others of this kind had ended, they would make sure that this woman would not find out that she was to die, so that she would not weep or become sad, as they considered this a bad omen. When the night on which she was to die arrived, they would dress her very richly and lead her to believe that they were taking her to some great lord who would sleep with her; and they would bring her in great silence to the cu where she was to die. Once she had climbed to the top, one of them would put her on his back, back to back, and they would swiftly cut off her head; then they would skin her, and a sturdy youth would dress himself in her skin.1 This [same] fellow who wore the skin of the woman they had killed would then be taken very solemnly, escorted by many captives, to the cu of Huitzilopochtli. There, this same one would tear out the hearts of four captives in front of Huitzilopochtli, and he would leave the rest [of the captives] for the satrap to kill. During this month, the lord would inspect a parade of all the warriors and young men who had never gone to war. He would give them weapons and insignias, and they would be promoted as soldiers, so that they might go to war from that point on. Many other ceremonies would be performed during this festival, which are described at length in their own account.
\n|Cuenta deste calendario | Cuenta del calendario romano
\n|----|----|\n|1 b |b 21
\n|2 c |c 22\n|3 d |d 23\n|4 e |e 24\n|5 f |f 25\n|6 g |g 26\n|7 A |A 27\n|8 b |b 28\n|9 c |c 29\n|10 d |d 30\n|11 e |e 31\n|12 f |f 1 September habet dies XXX.\n|13 g |g 2\n|14 A |A 3\n|15 b |b 4\n|16 c |c 5\n|17 d |d 6\n|18 e |e 7\n|19 f |f 8\n|20 g |g 9
Marginal note: September habet dies XXX (September has thirty days).↩
The eleventh month they named Ochpaniztli. On the first day of this month they celebrated a feast to the mother of the gods, named Teteo innan, or Toçi, which meaneth "Our Grandmother." They danced in silence for the honor of this goddess, and in great silence slew a woman dressed with the ornaments with which they represented this goddess.
\nFive days before this month began, all the feasts and merry making of the previous month ceased. Entering this month, they danced eight days without singing and without beating the two-toned drum. These past, there came forth the woman who was the likeness of the goddess whom they name Teteo innan, arrayed with the ornaments with which they pictured the same goddess; and a great number of women came forth with her, especially the medicine women and midwives. And they split into two bands and fought, pelting each other with balls made of tree parasites and from the leaves of the tuna cactus and with balls made from the leaves of reeds, and with flowers which they call cempoalxochitl. This merry making lasted four days.
\nThese ceremonies and others of like kind ended, they brought it about that that woman should not know she was to die, so that she should neither weep nor be saddened; for they held that to be an omen of evil. The night when she was to die having fallen, they decked her very richly, and persuaded her that they were taking her so that some great lord might sleep with her; and they bore her in great silence to the pyramid where she was to die. Having taken her up, one [of the priests] took her upon his back, shoulder against shoulder, and swiftly they struck off her head, and then they flayed her. And a stout youth put on her skin.
\nThis one who wore the skin of the woman whom they had slain they then bore off with great solemnity, and, escorted by many captives to the pyramid of Uitzilopochtli, here this same one, before Uitzilopochtli, tore out the hearts of four captives. The rest he left, that the priest might slay them.
\nIn this month the lord drew up a parade of all the warriors and of the young men who had never gone to war. These he gave arms and insignia, and they became soldiers; so that from then on they could go to war. Many other ceremonies were enacted in this feast, which are set forth at length in its account.
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