Iztacapan, Manuscrito Techialoyan de

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This manuscript is associated with the indigenous community of El Cardonal in the modern state of Hidalgo, republic of Mexico. Some time during the Spanish colonial period, the name changed from Santa María Iztacapan to El Cardonal. The manuscript is an unpublished example from the genre called “Techialoyan Codices” — late colonial, Nahuatl-language manuscripts written and painted on amatl (amate in Spanish, the name for a native fig-bark paper). Techialoyan manuscripts date from the late-seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. This particular one is not found in the catalog published in the Handbook of Middle American Indians in 1975. This manuscript has sixteen folios measuring about 8.5” by 10”, in a typical organization for the genre, of two-sided, single leaves that have been bound on the left margin. It is both pictorial and textual. Four folios contain full, running text in Nahuatl. The remaining folios contain graphic images with brief explanatory texts. Graphics tend to represent landscapes in and around the community. They also show human figures on the landscape. Two figures identified as Chichimec warriors and a founding couple are dressed in skins and carry bows and arrows, but most people wear the white cotton clothing donned by indigenous people in the Spanish colonial period. Two of the dignitaries are doña Ana and doña María Cortés (indigenous women who took the name of the conqueror, Hernando Cortés after baptism). (Stephanie Wood)

Title variants: 
Manuscrito Techialoyan de Santa María Iztacapan (El Cardonal, Hidalgo, Mexico)
Principal editor: 
Stephanie Wood
Provenance: 
This manuscript was in the private collection of Jay I. Kislak in Miami Lakes, Florida, in the late twentieth and early twenty-first-century. The manuscript was for sale for a time in the mid-1980s at H.P. Kraus Rare Books and Manuscripts in New York. It is not known if Mr. Kislak purchased the manuscript from Kraus or if it changed hands one or more times before he acquired it. Prior to the 1980s, its ownership history is unknown. Mr. Kislak donated the manuscript to the Library of Congress in 2007.

Transcriptions and Translations

Analytic Transcription English Translation Literal Transcription Spanish Translation Standardized Transcription
[IV, f. 1r.] ycçotepec mani ontzotli mecatl ...lali altepehuaque ym.... [IV, f. 1r.] At Icçotepec are two tzontli [presumably, 2 x 400, or 800] mecatl [mecates, in Spanish] of land that are the property of the citizens of the altepetl. [IV, f. 1r.] ycçote pecma niontzo tlimecatl .lalialtepehuaqueym. [IV, f. 1r.] En Yetzontepec hay dos tzontli (2 x 400, o 800) mecatl (varas?) de tierra que pertenecen a los ciudadanos del pueblo. [IV, f. 1r.] Icçotepec. Mani ontzontli mecatl tlalli. Altepehuaque imaxca.
[IV, f. 1v.] ....yametitlan mani yntlal altepehu..que yetzontli mecatl huytlaztoc [IV, f. 1v.] [Co]yametitlan. It is the land of the citizens of the altepetl. It is three tzontli [presumably, 3 x 400, or 1,200] mecatl [mecates, in Spanish] long. [IV, f. 1v.] yametitlanma ni yntlalaltepehu queyetzon tlimecatl huytlas toc [IV, f. 1v.] Yametitlan (Entre los Jabalíes). Es la tierra de los ciudadanos del pueblo. Extiende (o mide) tres tzontli (3 x 400, o 1,200) mecatl (varas?). [IV, f. 1v.] [Co]yametitlan. Mani intlal altepehuaque. Yetzontli mecatl huitlatztoc.
[IV, f. 2r.] nican motenehua hueycalco altepehuaque ymaxca nest...c [IV, f. 2r.] Here at the place called Hueicalco the property of the citizens of the altepetl appears [is shown in the pictorial]. [IV, f. 2r.] nicanmotenehuahuey calcoaltepehuaquey mazca nest..c [IV, f. 2r.] Aquí en el paraje llamado Huelcalco las propiedades de los ciudadanos del altepetl aparecen [mostradas en la imágen]. [IV, f. 2r.] Nican motenehua Hueicalco altepehuaque imaxca neztoc.
tiopan Church tiopan Iglesia Teopan
2 2 2 2 2
tlacal person tlacal persona tlacatl
quilia (?) quilia (?) quilia
[IV, f. 3r.] ....huey............x.....to...............yehuatl yn t.......ton.................................... [IV, f. 3r.] ..... the great ..... (someone) ... don(?) ...................... [IV, f. 3r.] ....huey.......... ..x.....to........... ....yehuatl ynt..... ..ton.............. ...................... ...................... ...................... ...................... ...................... ...................... ...................... [IV, f. 3r.] .... el gran .... (alguien) .... don(?) .................... [IV, f. 3r.] ....huei............x.....to...............yehuatl in t.......ton....................................
[IV, f. 3v.] ...ytlatocatzin ton a[nt]onio te mentoxa ohu[al]mehuyti caxtilan omo....caya xalyx o niz ....quixtitla omo.......otetlalma....que yn tlali yaxca..m....toaltepeuh nez.... neztimani nenemi coaxochtli ca moch yz..cpantoc ypan ynin.....pe....matl ypanpa [IV, f. 3v.] Our great ruler don Antonio de Mendoza came from Castile .............. They won land for people, land that belongs to our altepetl. It appears, it appears [how] the boundaries run, so that all .... on it, this altepetl paper, for this reason [IV, f. 3v.] ...ytlatocatzintona oniotementoxaohu ..mehuyticaxtilan omo...cayaxal(or t?)yx oniz........quixtitiao mo.......otetlalma ...queyntlaliyaxca ..m....toaltepeuh nez ..o...neztimaninenemi coaxohtlicamohyz ..cpan tocypanynin .....pe....matlypanpa [IV, f. 3v.] Nuestro gran gobernante, don Antonio de Mendoza, llegó de Castilla ........ Ganaron tierras para la gente, tierras que pertenecen a nuestro pueblo. Parece, parece [como] los linderos corren, para que todo .... en este documento del pueblo, por esta razón [IV, f. 3v.] [Tohue?]itlatocatzin don Antonio de Mendoza ohualmehuiti Caxtilan omo...caya xalyx..o niz ...... quixtitla omo.... otetlalmaçeuhque yn tlalli iaxca ....m....toaltepeuh neztoc neztimani nenemi quaxochtli ca moch iz...cpantoc ipan inin altepeamatl ipampa
[IV, f. 4r.] ...emicac mahiztitoz y...tzinpeuhca yn imanca ynin yaltepetzin tlaçocihuapili yztacapan niz moh tictlilmahiotia tictecpana ypanpa cemicac niz quitazque yn canpa mani altepetlali tequitcatlali yn macehualti yn altepehua[q]ue yn tlacalaquique qui[t?]equipanozque .... [IV, f. 4r.] Eternally [everything] will be known about the foundation [and location?] this altepetl of the precious lady at Iztacapan. Here we write everything, we put it in order, so that eternally here the citizens of the altepetl, who are the tribute payers, will see where are the lands of the altepetl, the tribute lands of the commoners, of the citizens of the altepetl, of the tribute payers. They are to work them [or serve the saint]. [IV, f. 4r.] ..emicac mahiztitoz y... tzinpeuhca yni man ca ynin yaltepetzin tlaçoçihuapiliyztac apannizmohtictlilma hiotiatictecpanaypa npacemicacnizquitazq ueyncanpamanialtep etlalitequitcatlali yn ma çehualti ynaltepehua ..ueyntlacalaquiquequi(?) ..equipanozque ..... [IV, f. 4r. ] Eternamente [todo] sera conocido acerca de la fundación [y localización] este pueblo de la preciosa dama en Iztacapan. Aquí escribimos todo ,lo ponemos en orden, para que eternamente los ciudadanos del pueblo, quienes pagan los tributos, pueden ver donde están las tierras del pueblo, las tierras tributarias de los macehuales, de los ciudadanos del pueblo, de los pagadores de tributos. Ellos deben trabajar para ellos [o servir a su santo]. [IV, f. 4r.] cemicac machiztitoz i...tzinpeuhca in imanca inin ialtepetzin tlaçoçihuapilli Iztacapan niz moch tictlilmachiotia tictecpana ypanpa cemicac niz quitazque in campa mani altepetlali tequitcatlalli in maçehualti in altepehuaque in tlacalaquique quitequipanozque ....