Annals of Native America by Camilla Townsend

Author:Camilla Townsend
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2017-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Fig 5.1 Cover created for don Juan Zapata’s “Historia Cronológica” of Tlaxcala by his friend, don Manuel de los Santos Salazar. Méxicain 212, Courtesy Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

5

Renaissance in the East (The Seventeenth Century)

In the seventeenth century, there still lived individuals who continued the tradition of the xiuhpohualli, especially in the region of Tlaxala:1

[f. 92]

Now in the new year, on the first of January in the year 1675, don Diego Martín Faustino of Ocotelolco became judge-governor for the first time. The Ocotelolca will hold [the governorship] for a second year; with this the term is complete. The new alcalde [from Ocotelolco] is don Manuel de los Santos, the regidores don Juan Francisco—who lives in Tepeitic—and don Diego Felipe Nahualtzintli. The new alcalde for Tizatla is don Luis Diego, the regidores don Juan Nicolás and don Juan Nicolás [sic]. The new alcalde for Quiyahuiztlan is don Diego Pérez Cuixcocatzin, citizen of San Francisco Temetzontlan, the regidores don Juan Nicolás Tezpantzin and don Sebastián Gabriel Zárate. For Tepeticpac, [the new alcalde is] don Diego Martín Pérez, the regidores don Nicolás Salvador and don Juan Pérez. Don Josef de San Francisco is alguacil mayor for the first time. The cabildo notary is Juan Pablo. The Spanish governor is the same don León de Arsa, whose spouse is doña Tomasina. In this year [the construction of] the [bridge’s] pillars started up on the 11th of January,2 and now half have come to be finished at the end of the month of March, everything on San Miguel’s side.3 Then began [work on] the part on our side.4 The one who paid for everything was Josef de Alva, cobrador of the cabildo.5

Today on the 16th of the month of February, in the same year of 1675, was begun the earthen canal to provide a channel for the Zahuatl river. Only three altepetl dug it—Ocotelolco, Quiyahuiztlan and Tepeticpac. The people of Tizatla did not want to do it. They paid 300 pesos that the three altepetl divided among themselves. At the beginning of March they began to close off [the river] [f. 92v] to divert it. But they could not control it. Until the end of March they couldn’t close it up with stones.6 It just stayed open. Everyone in the three altepetl was really upset. And the people of Tizatla who did not want it and demurred spent a month and half in the big jail. They were going to lash them about in the streets7 and banish them, but the whole cabildo spoke on their behalf, and our father the preacher Diego Martín de Valdés pled with don León de Arsa that they be pardoned. They vowed that they would obey.

Today on Sunday, on the 24th of March in the year 1675, on the eve of our precious Mother of Incarnation, they brought an accusation against a sorcerer from Santa María Acuitlapilco. It had already rung nine o’clock when they brought him out from the jail. They took him to the home of the vicar, Antonio González Laso.

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