XXVI Congreso Internacional de Americanistas

- 91 ­
mation regarding their history, customs, religion, etc. Nlost of the cities
of what are to-day the states of lVIichoacan, Veracruz, Puebla, Oax.a~
ca, etc. declared themselves to have been vassals of the Moctezumas
befo re the arrival of the Spaniard, and the natives of these cities responded
more ful1y to the questions asked. However, the natives of the
cities that had been indefx.E'n(J,en t, prior to the arrival of the Spaniards,
such as, San Juan "Teutihuacan" and Aeólman, belonging to the D:istrict
of "Tezeueo"; and Teutitlan del Camino in Oaxaea, responded the
most fuIly of aH, and these were the natives who deseribed the different
RELIGIOUS FEASTS, or 2o-days periods, and explained important
questions regarding their calendar, whieh no native of Mexieo Tenoehtitlan
and Tlaltelolco had ever made c1ear.
In the eity of Teutitlan del Camino, Oaxaea (2), C:l the 15th day
of the mDnth of Septemb ~ r, 158r, in obedience to His Maj esty's commands,
the Spanish Magistrate Francisco de Ca stañeda assembled the
public officials and some of the wisest Df the natives; and in his presence,
these natives were carefu]l)' questioned, and their answer to eaeh
question recorded, one after another. N umber 14 of the Questionnaire,
asks about the different RELIGIOUS FEASTS and eeremonies; ami
the following is part of the answer to that question (3):
COPY OF ORIGINAL TEXT
"Cada beinte dias celebrauan vna fies­
"ta, que eran diez y ocho fiestas en vn
"año y sobrauan cinco dias, y al cabo de
"quatro años que cunplian el número de
"beinte dias hacian otra fiesta solene,
"yen cada vna de las fiestas tenían di­
"ferentes cerimonias. A la vna fiesta
"l/amauan TLACAXIPEHUALIZTLl
TRANSLATION
"Every 20 days they celebrated a
feast, which l'esulted 18 feasts in ayear,
with S days left over; and at the end
of every 4 years, which completed the
number of 20 days, they observed another
feast, which was very solemn; alld
in each oE the feasts they had different
ceremonies. The first feast was called
TLACAXJPEHUALlZ TLI... oo. oo, oo .
oo. La diez y ochena fiesta l/amauan
"CIHUAYLHUYTL, este dia ha