Al tercio décimo mes llamaban tepeílhuitl. En este mes hacían fiesta a honra de los montes eminentes que están por todas estas comarcas desta Nueva España, donde se arman ñublados. Hacían las imágines en figura humana a cada uno dellos, de la masa que se llama tzoal, y ofrecían delante destas imágines en respecto destos mismos montes.
\nHacían a honra de los montes unas culebras de palo o de raíces de árboles, y habrábanles la cabeza como culebra. Hacían también unos trozos de palo gruesos como la muñeca, largos; llamábanlos ecatotonti. Así a éstos como a las culebras los investían con aquella masa que llaman tzoal. A estos trozos los investían a manera de montes; arriba les ponían su cabeza, como cabeza de persona.Hacían también estas imágines en memoria de aquellos que se habían ahogado en el agua o habían muerto de tal muerte que no los quemaban, sino que los enterraban.
\nDespués que con muchas cerimonias habían puesto en sus altares a las imágines dichas, ofrecíanles también tamales y otras comidas, y también los decían cantares de sus loores y bebían vino por su honra.
\nLlegada la fiesta a honra de los montes, mataban cuatro mujeres y un hombre. La una dellas llamaban Tepóxoch; la segunda llamaban Matlalcueye; la tercera llamaban Xochtécatl; la cuarta llamaban Mayáhuel; y al hombre llamaban Milnáhuatl. Aderezaban a estas mujeres y al hombre con muchos papeles llenos de ulli, y llevábanlas en unas literas en hombros de mujeres muy ataviadas, hasta donde las habían de matar. Después que las hobieron muerto y sacado los corazones, llevábanlas pasito, rodando por las gradas abaxo. Llegadas abaxo cortábanlas las cabezas y espetábanlas en un\npalo, y los cuerpos llevábanlos a las casas que llamaban calpul, donde los repartían para comer. Los papeles con que aderezaban las imágines de los montes, después de haberlas desbaratados para comer, colgábanlos en el calpul.
\nOtras 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 g |g 30\n|2 A |A 1 October habet dies XXXI.
\n|3 b |b 2\n|4 c |c 3
\n|5 d |d 4
\n|6 e |e 5
\n|7 f |f 6\n|8 g |g 7
\n|9 A |A 8
\n|10 b |b 9
\n|11 c |c 10\n|12 d |d 11
\n|13 e |e 12
\n|14 f |f 13
\n|15 g |g 14\n|16 A |A 15
\n|17 b |b 16\n|18 c |c 17\n|19 d |d 18\n|20 e |e 19
They called the thirteenth month Tepeilhuitl. During this month, they would celebrate a festival in honor of the high mountains that are found throughout all of these regions of this New Spain, where the clouds are formed. They would make images of each one of them in human form, from the dough called tzoalli, and make offerings before these images out of reverence for these very mountains.
\nIn honor of the mountains, they would make some snakes out of wood or out of tree roots, and they would carve them into snake heads. They would also carve some long pieces of wood, as thick as a wrist; and they called them Ehecatotontin. They would dress both these [pieces of wood] and the snakes with that dough that they call tzoalli. They would dress these [pieces of wood] up like mountains, placing their heads at the top, like the head of a person. They would also make these images in memory of those who had drowned in water or had died such a death that they could not cremate them but buried them instead. After having placed these images on their altars with many ceremonies, they would also offer them tamales and other dishes; they would also sing their praises and drink wine in their honor. When it was time for the festival in honor of the mountains, they would kill four women and one man. They called one of these [women] Tepoxoch; they called the second one Matlalcueyeh; they called the third one Xochtecatl; they called the fourth one Mayahuel; and they called the man Milnahuatl. They would adorn these women and the man with many papers full of olli and carry them on some litters, upon the shoulders of richly dressed women, all the way to where they would kill them. Once they had killed them2 and torn out their hearts, they would roll them down the steps very slowly. When they reached the bottom, they would cut off their heads and impale them on a stick; and they would bring their bodies to the houses that they called calpolli, where they were distributed in order to eat them. After they had dismembered these women to eat them, they would hang in the calpolli the papers with which they adorned the images of the mountains. 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 g |g 30\n|2 A |A 1 October habet dies XXXI.
\n|3 b |b 2\n|4 c |c 3
\n|5 d |d 4
\n|6 e |e 5
\n|7 f |f 6\n|8 g |g 7
\n|9 A |A 8
\n|10 b |b 9
\n|11 c |c 10\n|12 d |d 11
\n|13 e |e 12
\n|14 f |f 13
\n|15 g |g 14\n|16 A |A 15
\n|17 b |b 16\n|18 c |c 17\n|19 d |d 18\n|20 e |e 19
Marginal note: October habet dies XXXI (October has thirty-one days).↩
“They had killed them”: las hobieron muerto. Note the transitive use of the usually intransitive verb morir throughout bk. 2. According to DLE, this transitive use is rarely used: s.v. morir “7. tr. p. us. matar (‖ quitar la vida). U. solo en la voz pasiva. El toro fue muerto a la tercera estocada.”↩
The thirteenth month they named Tepeilhuitl. In this month they celebrated a feast in honor of the high mountains, which are in all these lands of this New Spain, where large clouds pile up. They made the images of each one of them in human form, from the dough which is called tzoalli, and they laid offerings before these images in veneration of these same mountains.
\nIn honor of the mountains they made a number of serpents, of wood or of the roots of trees, and they fashioned them heads like [those of] serpents. They made also some lengths of wood, as thick as the wrist, and long. They called them ecatotonti. These, as well as the serpents, they overlaid with that dough which they call tzoalli. These pieces they provided a covering in the manner of mountains. Above, they placed the head, like the head of a person. Likewise they made these images in memory of those who had drowned in the water, or had died such a death that they did not burn them, but rather buried them.
\nAfter, with many ceremonies, they had placed upon their altars the aforementioned images, they also offered them tamales and other food; and also they uttered canticles of their praises, and they drank wine in their honor.
\nUpon arrival of the feast in honor of the mountains, they slew four women and one man. The first of these [women] they called Tepexoch. The second they called Matlalcueie. The third they named Xochtecatl. The fourth they called Mayauel. And the man they named Milnauatl. They decked these women and the man in many papers covered with rubber. And they carried them in some litters upon the shoulders of women highly adorned, to the place where they were to slay them.
\nAfter they had slain them and torn out their hearts, they took them away gently, rolling them down the steps. When they had reached the bottom, they cut off their heads and inserted a rod through them, and they carried the bodies to the houses which they called calpulco, where they divided them up in order to eat them. The papers with which they arrayed the images of the mountains, after they had broken them to pieces in order to eat them, they hung in the calpulco. Many other ceremonies were performed in this feast, which are set down at length in its account.
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