[gran]des, que se llaman cuachtli, si tenía hacienda, y ansí en consintiendo los maestros de los mancebos luego le dexaban salir de aquella casa, y casábase. Y entonces le llamaban tlapaliuhcati, que quiere decir que no es mancebo, sino que es casado.
\nY el que era bien criado y aficionado a las costumbres de los mancebos, no salía de allí de su voluntad, aunque fuese ya de edad perfecta, sino que por mandado del rey o señor salía de aquella casa.
\nY destos mancebos no se elegían los senadores que regían los pueblos, sino otros oficiales más baxos de la república, que se llamaban tlatlacateca y tlatlacuchcalca y achcacauhti, porque no tenían buena vida, por ser amancebados, y osaban decir palabras livianas, y cosas de burla, y hablaban con soberbia y osadamente.
\nwhich are called cuachtli. And thus, once they had given their consent, the young men’s teachers would then allow him to leave that house; and then he would get married. At that point they called him tlapaliuhcati, which means that he is not a young man but a married man.
\nAnd the one who was well bred and fond of the young men’s customs would not leave that place willingly, even if he was already at the perfect age, but he would leave that house only by order of the king or lord.
\nAnd the senators who ruled the towns were not chosen from [the ranks of] these young men, but only other less important officers of the republic, called tlatlacatecah and tlatlacochcalcah and achcacauhtin, [were chosen from their ranks], because these [young men] did not follow a good way of life, as they lived in concubinage and had the audacity to speak frivolous words and joke around, and were coarse and arrogant in their speech.
\nmotelpuchtlali, tlaxtlaoa injc qujntlalcavia in telpupuchti quachtli, quicaoa aço matlactli, aço cemipilli in mocuiltonoa,
\nyn oazque in tachcaoan in oquimacauhque njmã (mitoa) tlapaliuhcati, ça çe cihoatl conana in ichan qujpia.
\nauh in mozcalia telpuchtli, amo çan moiocoia, in quicaoa telpuchiotl, cenca v̄cã veveti in telpuchpan; auh yiollotlama in tlatoanj, qujnaoatia,
\nauh amo cenca mjecpa in telpuchpan anoço in tecuti, çã tlatlacatecca, tlatlacochcalca, achcacauhti yn vncan ano, amo tlacatecutli, amo tlacochtecutli vncã quiça, ipampa in amo cenca qualli yn jnnemiliz telpupuchti, ca ipampa cihoa notzaia, avilnemini, ipampa in qujmotequjtia cacamanalli, ahauillatoa, totoquauhtlatoa, tlatlaquauhtlatoa, quaquauhtlatoa.
\nyouth was laid down, he paid his debt. In order to leave, the youth left large cotton capes, perhaps ten, perhaps twenty if he was rich.
\nWhen the masters of the youths had consented,1 when they had given their leave, then (it was said) he married. Only one woman did he take; he kept her at his home.
\nAnd when a youth was educated, not merely of his own will did he leave the estate of youth. He grew very old there where the youths were. But if he willed, the ruler gave him leave [to go].
\nBut not very often from the youths’ place [came], perchance, lords: only commanding generals, generals,2 chief [warriors] were taken thence. Lords of men, lords of the arsenal 3 did not come from there, because the manner of life of the youths was not very good; because they were given to women, to vicious life; because they took up mocking, vain talk; they talked coarsely, grossly, uncouthly.
\noazque: read ocizque.↩
See Tenth Chapter, nn. 3, 4.↩
Of these Sahagún elsewhere says that they were principales over soldiers and captains. The tlacatecutli was a pilli (prince or nobleman); the tlacochtecutli was “principal en las cosas de la guerra,” and Sahagún refers to them as señores (Robredo ed., Vol. II. pp. 117 sq.). Specifically of the tlacatecutli he says: “Tiene autoridad para matar a los criminosos … para reprender y castigar porque ya está en la dignidad y estrado, ya tiene el principal lugar, donde le puso nuestro señor; ya le llaman por estos nombres *tlacatlato, tlacatecutli, por estos nombres le nombran todos los populares” (ibid., p. 136). Of both officials he writes: “… el señor es como corazón del pueblo; uno de ellos era *pilli y el otro era criado en las guerras. El uno de ellos se llamaba tlacatecutli; y el otro tlacochtecutli … .” Four personages—tlacatecutli, tlacochtecutli, tlacatecatl, and tlacochcalcatl—”eran electos por la inspiración de nuestro señor dios, porque eran más hábiles para ello” (ibid., p. 138). See also Dibble and Anderson, Book VI, pp. 89, 108, 110.↩