padres y madres han puesto en vuestro seno. Mirad, hijos, que estos mozuelos que van con vosotros, que no tienen esperiencia aún en los trabajos de los caminos, que los habéis de llevar como por la mano; serviros héis dellos para que, donde llegáredes, os hagan asentaderos de heno y aparejen los lugares donde habéis de comer y dormir con heno. Y también tened gran cuidado de imponerlos en las cosas del servicio de los dioses, que es el repartimiento de las noches y las vigilias della, para que con toda diligencia se exerciten en ellas. No seáis negligentes en imponerlos en toda buena crianza, como conviene a los mancebos."
\nCon esto se despidían dellos del todo. Y después que habían acabado de hablar los unos y los otros, luego se levantaban todos y estaba hecha una hoguera de fuego grande, cerca de la cual estaba una xícara grande tiñida de verde y llena de copal. Y cada uno de los que se iban su camino, tomaba una taxada de copal y lo echaba en el fuego, y luego se entraba de rondón en la canoa. Ninguno entraba entre las mujeres, ni se volvía a mirar atrás, aunque alguna cosa se le hubiese olvidado en casa ni procuraba por ella, ni hablaba más a los que quedaban. Ni ninguno de los que quedaban, así de los viejos como de las viejas mercaderes, se mudaban para ir hacia donde iban, ni siquiera un paso. Y si alguno tornaba a mirar atrás de aquellos que iban su camino, tomaban dello mal agüero; teníanlo por gran pecado. Desta manera dicha se partían los mercaderes para ir a tratar a lexas tierras.
\nfathers and mothers have placed in your heart. Take care, sons, for these young boys who are going along with you have not yet experienced the toils of the road, so you should take them with you as if you were holding them by the hand; you should make them serve you, so that, wherever you arrive, they may make straw seats for you and prepare with straw the places where you will be having your meals and sleeping. And be very careful also to impose on them those things that pertain to the service of the gods, such as the division of the nights and the corresponding vigils, so that they may practice them with all due diligence. Do not neglect to impose on them every sort of good manners, as is fitting for young men.”
\nThey would finish their goodbyes with this. And once they had finished talking to each other, then they would all stand up. A large bonfire would be blazing there, and next to it would be a large jícara painted green and full of copal. And each member of the expedition would take a fistful of copal, toss it into the fire, and then get into the canoe right away. No one would mingle with the women or turn to look back; even if he had forgotten something at home, he would neither send somebody to retrieve it nor speak anymore with the ones who were staying behind. And none of those who were staying behind—the older merchants, both male and female—would make any move to follow those who were departing—not even to take one step. And if any of those who were going on the trip should turn to look back, they would take that as a bad omen, for they considered [such an act] to be a great sin. In this way described [above], the merchants depart to go trade in distant lands.
\n[xiuh]pepechtzintli in çacaicpaltzintli. Auh in isquich in tlamaceoaliztli, in iohoaltamachiuiliztli in istoçoliztli: xiquincuitlauiltica xiquintlaquauhtzitzquiltica, ma anquizxicauhti in oapaoaloni, in izcatiloni.
\nOiui, y, izca iccen quinnahoatiaia. Jn ontzontzonquiz tlatolli: niman ie ic nequetzalo, ie omotlali in cenca vei tletl, xoxouic copalxicalli ispan mani: ceceiaca concuitimani in copalli, contentimani in tleco, nimã ic quiztimani, acalco tlamelahoa: aocac calaqui cihoapan, ânoac oalmocuepa in ma oalnacaztlachie, in aço itla oquilcauhtia: in ma oc concui, in manoçoc conmacati, aocmo ueliti: anoac quintocatiuh, in isquich tlacatl, in puchtecaueuetque, in puchtecacioa. Jn aquin oalmocuepaia, quitetzammatia, quitlatlaculmatia couicaittaia. Oiui y, inic õpeoaia in oztomeca.
\nbeds of straw, grass seats. And [instruct them in] all the penances, the fixing of the divisions of the night, the vigils: take care of them; keep them firmly in your grasp. Do not neglect the way of rearing and upbringing.”
\nIn this manner—behold—they took final leave of them. When the discourse of each had ended, all thereupon arose. Already a very great fire had been laid, before which lay a green gourd vessel [full] of copal. One by one they continued taking the copal, casting it into the fire. Then they went forth [and] proceeded straightway to the boats. None entered the women’s quarters, neither did any turn back [or] look to one side. If perchance he had gone forgetting something, he might no more come to take it,1 nor might they still go to offer it, to him. No longer could he do it. Neither did even one of all the old merchants [and] merchant women go following them. When one turned back they thought it an omen of evil—sinful; they regarded it as dangerous. In this manner did the vanguard merchants depart.
\nConcui *(concuique) in the Acad. Hist. MS.↩