A Lord's Advice to His Daughter

Tú hija mia preciosa como cuenta de oro y pluma rica, salida de mis entrañas, á quien yo engendré, y que eres mi sangre y mi imágen: tú que estás aquí presente, oye con atencion lo que te quiero decir, porque ya tienes edad de discrecion. Dios criador te ha dado uso de razon y habilidad para entender, el cual Señor está en todo lugar, y es criador de todos; y pues que es así que ya entiendes y tienes uso de razon, para comprender como son las cosas del mundo, y que en él no hay verdadero placer, ni verdadero descanso; mas por el contrario, hay trabajos, aflicciones, cansancios estremados, abundancia de miserias y pobrezas. ¡Oh hija mia! que éste mundo es de lloros, aflicciones, y descontentos, donde hay frios, destemplanza de aire y grandes calores del sol que nos aflige, y es lugar de hambre y de sed.

You my daughter precious as a bead of gold and rich feather, come out of my entrails, whom I begot, and who are my blood and my image: you who are here present, hear with attention what I want to tell you, because you now have the age of discretion. God the creator has given you use of reason and ability to understand, which Lord is in every place, and is creator of all; and since it is so that you now understand and have use of reason, to comprehend how the things of the world are, and that in it there is no true pleasure, nor true rest; but on the contrary, there are labors, afflictions, extreme wearinesses, abundance of miseries and poverties. Oh my daughter! for this world is of weepings, afflictions, and discontents, where there are colds, intemperance of air and great heats of the sun that afflicts us, and it is a place of hunger and of thirst.

You, my daughter, precious as a bead of gold, as a rich feather, you who came from my body, whom I fathered, my blood and my image: you who are here, listen closely to what I want to tell you. You have now reached the age of reason. God the creator, the Lord who is everywhere and made all things, has given you reason and the ability to understand. So now you can understand how the things of the world are. In it there is no true pleasure and no true rest. Instead there is labor, trouble, great weariness, and a great deal of misery and poverty. Oh, my daughter, this world is a place of weeping, trouble, and discontent. There is cold here, and harsh winds, and great heat from the sun that torments us. It is a place of hunger and thirst.

Ten entendido hija primogénita, que vienes de gente noble, hidalga y generosa: eres de sangre de señores y senadores, que há ya muchos años que murieron, y reinaron, y pusieron el trono y estrado del reino, y dejaron fama y honra á las dignidades que tuvieron y engrandecieron su nobleza: hija mia, quiérote declarar lo que digo. Sábete que eres noble y generosa, considérate y conócete como tal: aunque eres doncellita, eres preciosa como un chalchivite y como un zafiro, y fuiste labrada y esculpida de noble sangre, de generosos parientes. Vienes de deudos muy principales é ilustres, y esto que te digo hija mia bien lo entiendes, porque ya no andas amontonando la tierra y jugando con las tejuelas y con el barro con otras niñas: ya entiendes, y disciernes, y usas de razon.

Hold [it] understood, firstborn daughter, that you come from noble, hidalgo and generous people: you are of the blood of lords and senators, who many years ago died, and reigned, and set up the throne and dais of the kingdom, and left fame and honor to the dignities that they held and magnified their nobility: my daughter, I want to declare to you what I say. Know that you are noble and generous, consider yourself and know yourself as such: although you are a little maiden, you are precious like a chalchivite and like a sapphire, and you were wrought and sculpted of noble blood, of generous relatives. You come from very principal and illustrious kin, and this that I tell you, my daughter, you understand well, because you no longer go heaping up the earth and playing with the potsherds and with the clay with other girls: now you understand, and discern, and use reason.

Understand, my firstborn daughter, that you come from noble people of good birth. You are of the blood of lords and councilors who died many years ago. They reigned, set up the throne and seat of the kingdom, and brought fame and honor to the offices they held. They made their nobility greater. My daughter, I want to explain what I mean. Know that you are noble and of good birth, and think of yourself that way. Though you are only a young girl, you are as precious as a chalchivite1 and a sapphire. You were carved and shaped from noble blood, from relatives of good birth. You come from very high and famous kin. You understand this well, my daughter, because you no longer play in the dirt with the other girls, heaping up earth and playing with bits of broken pottery and clay. Now you understand, you can tell one thing from another, and you use your reason.

1. Chalchihuitl, the Nahuatl word for jade and other precious green stones. Spanish writers spelled it chalchivite.

Mira que no te deshonres á tí misma: mira que no afrentes á nuestros antepasados los señores y gobernadores: mira no hagas alguna vileza: mira repito que eres noble y generosa. Ves aquí la regla que has de guardar para vivir bien en este mundo, entre la gente que en él vive: mira que eres muger. Nota lo que has de hacer: de noche y de dia debes orar muchas veces, y suspirar al dios invisible é impalpable, que se llama Yoalliehecatl: demándale con clamores, y tendidos los brazos en el secreto de tu recogimiento: mira que no seas dormilona; despierta y levántate á la media noche, y póstrate de rodillas y de codos delante de él; inclínate y cruza los brazos; llama con clamores de tu corazon á nuestro señor dios invisible é impalpable, porque denoche se regocija con los que le llaman: entónces te oirá, y entónces hará misericordia contigo, entónces te dará lo que te convenga, y aquello de que fueres digna; y si por ventura antes del principio del mundo te fué dada alguna siniestra ventura algun hado contrario en que naciste, orando y haciendo penitencia como está dicho, se mejorará, y nuestro señor dios la abonará,

Look that you do not dishonor yourself: look that you do not affront our ancestors the lords and governors: look you do not do any vileness: look, I repeat, that you are noble and generous. See here the rule that you must keep to live well in this world, among the people who live in it: look that you are a woman. Note what you must do: by night and by day you must pray many times, and sigh to the invisible and impalpable god, who is called Yoalliehecatl: ask him with cries, and with arms stretched out in the secret of your retirement: look that you are not a sleepyhead; wake and get up at midnight, and prostrate yourself on knees and on elbows before him; bow and cross your arms; call with cries of your heart to our lord god invisible and impalpable, because by night he rejoices with those who call him: then he will hear you, and then he will have mercy on you, then he will give you what suits you, and that of which you may be worthy; and if perhaps before the beginning of the world there was given to you some ill fortune, some contrary fate in which you were born, praying and doing penance as is said, it will improve, and our lord god will make it good,

Take care not to dishonor yourself. Take care not to shame our ancestors, the lords and governors. Do nothing base. Remember, I say again, that you are noble and of good birth. Here is the rule you must keep to live well in this world, among the people who live in it. Remember that you are a woman. Note what you must do. Night and day you must pray often and sigh to the invisible, untouchable god called Yoalliehecatl.2 Call to him aloud with your arms stretched out, in private, where you are alone. Do not be a sleepyhead. Wake up and rise at midnight, and kneel before him with your elbows on the ground. Bow and cross your arms. Call with all your heart to our lord, the invisible, untouchable god, because at night he is glad of those who call to him. Then he will hear you. Then he will have mercy on you and give you what is good for you and what you deserve. Perhaps, before the world began, an unlucky fortune was given to you, a bad fate you were born with.3 If so, it will grow better by your praying and doing penance as I have said, and our lord god will set it right.

2. Yoalli ehecatl, Nahuatl for “night and wind”, a title of the god Tezcatlipoca, who could not be seen or touched. Book 6, chapter 2, gives a prayer to him under both names.
3. The Nahuas held that the sign of the day on which a person was born shaped his or her fortune. Book 4 of Sahagún's history is about these signs.

Mira hija que de noche te levantes y veles, y te pongas en cruz: echa de tí de presto la ropa, lávate la cara, manos y boca: toma de presto la escoba para barrer, barre con diligencia, no te estés perezosa en la cama; levántate á lavar las bocas á los dioses, y á ofrecerles incienso, y mira no dejes esto por pereza, que con estas cosas demandamos á dios y clamamos á él, para que nos dé lo que cumple. Hecho esto comienza luego á hacer lo que es de tu oficio, á hacer cacao, ó moler el maíz, ó á hilar ó á teger: mira que aprendas muy bien como se hace la comida y bebida para que sea bien hecha; quiero decir aquella comida y bebida para los señores, y que á solos ellos se dá, y por esto se llama tetonaltlatocatlacualli. Obrando de este modo serás enriquecida donde quiera que dios te diere la suerte de tu casamiento; y si por ventura vinieres á necesidad de pobreza, mira que aprendas muy bien y con gran advertencia el oficio de las mugeres que es hilar y teger. Abre bien los ojos para ver como tienen una manera de tejer, y de labrar y de hacer las pinturas en las telas, como ponen las colores, y como juntan las unas con las otras para que digan bien.

Look, daughter, that by night you get up and keep vigil, and put yourself in [the shape of a] cross: throw off quickly the clothes [bedclothes?], wash your face, hands and mouth: take quickly the broom to sweep, sweep with diligence, do not stay lazy in bed; get up to wash the mouths of the gods, and to offer them incense, and look you do not leave this from laziness, for with these things we ask of god and cry to him, that he give us what is fitting. This done, begin at once to do what is of your office, to make cacao, or grind the maize, or to spin or to weave: look that you learn very well how the food and drink is made so that it be well made; I mean that food and drink for the lords, and which is given to them alone, and for this it is called tetonaltlatocatlacualli. Working in this way you will be enriched wherever god gives you the lot of your marriage; and if perhaps you come to the necessity of poverty, look that you learn very well and with great attention the office of women, which is to spin and weave. Open your eyes well to see how they have a manner of weaving, and of working [designs] and of making the paintings on the cloths, how they put the colors, and how they join the ones with the others so that they go well [together].

Daughter, get up at night and keep watch. Stretch out your arms in the shape of a cross. Throw off your covers quickly and wash your face, hands, and mouth. Take up the broom at once and sweep carefully. Do not lie lazily in bed. Get up to wash the mouths of the gods and offer them incense,4 and do not neglect this out of laziness, for by these things we ask god and call to him to give us what we need. When this is done, start at once on your own work: making cacao,5 grinding maize, spinning, or weaving. Learn very well how food and drink are made, so that they are made well. I mean the food and drink for the lords, which is given only to them and so is called tetonaltlatocatlacualli.6 If you work this way, you will be well off wherever god grants you a marriage. And if you should ever fall into poverty, learn very well and very carefully the work of women, which is spinning and weaving. Keep your eyes open to see how they weave, how they work designs and paint them on the cloth, how they lay on the colors, and how they set them side by side so that they look well together.

4. So the Spanish reads. It seems to mean caring for the images of the gods kept in the house; the Nahuatl has not yet been compared.
5. The cacao drink, made from ground cacao beans beaten with water.
6. A Nahuatl word. Its second part, tlatocatlacualli, means “lords' food”; the first part is uncertain.

Las que son señoras y habiles en esta arte, aprenden bien como se urde la tela, y como se ponen los lizos en ella, como las cañas entre la una tela y otra, para que pase por enmedio de la lanzadera.

Those who are ladies and skilled in this art learn well how the cloth is warped, and how the heddles are put in it, how the reeds [rods] between the one cloth [layer of threads] and other, so that the shuttle passes through the middle.

The ladies who are skilled in this art learn well how to set up the warp, how to put in the heddles, and how to place the rods between the two layers of threads so that the shuttle can pass through the middle.7

7. The heddles and rods lift alternate threads of the warp so that the thread of the weft can be passed through between them.

Mira que seas en esto muy avisada y muy diligente: no dejes de saber esto por negligencia ó por pereza, porque ahora que eres mozuela, y tienes buen tiempo para entender en ello, tu corazon está simple y hábil, y es como chalchivite fino y como zafiro, y tiene habilidad pues no está aun mancillado con algun pecado, sino puro, simple y limpio, sin mezcla de alguna mala afeccion; y tambien porque aun vivimos los que te engendramos, pues que tú no te hiciste á tí ni te formaste; yo y tu madre tuvimos este cuidado y te hicimos, porque esta es la costumbre del mundo: no es invencion de alguno, es ordenacion de nuestro señor Dios que haya generacion por via de hombre y de muger para hacer multiplicacion y poblacion, y entre tanto que somos y vivimos; y en nuestra presencia antes que muramos y que nos llame nuestro señor, conviénete mucho hija mia muy amada, mi paloma, mi primogénita, que entiendas en estas cosas dichas, y las sepas muy bien, para que despues de nuestra muerte, puedas vivir honrada y entre personas de honor; porque andar á coger yerbas, y vender leña, ó á vender axi verde, ó sal, ó salitre á los cantones (ó esquinas) de las calles, en ninguna manera te conviene, pues eres generosa, y desciendes de gente noble é hidalga.

Look that you are in this very alert and very diligent: do not fail to know this from negligence or from laziness, because now that you are a young girl, and have good time to apply yourself to it, your heart is simple and able, and is like fine chalchivite and like sapphire, and has ability since it is not yet stained with any sin, but pure, simple and clean, without mixture of any bad affection; and also because we who begot you still live, for you did not make yourself nor form yourself; I and your mother had this care and made you, because this is the custom of the world: it is not the invention of anyone, it is the ordinance of our lord God that there be generation by way of man and of woman to make multiplication and population, and while we are and live; and in our presence before we die and our lord calls us, it greatly suits you, my very beloved daughter, my dove, my firstborn, that you apply yourself to these said things, and know them very well, so that after our death, you may live honored and among persons of honor; because to go gathering herbs, and selling firewood, or selling green chili, or salt, or saltpeter at the corners (or corners) of the streets, in no way suits you, since you are generous, and descend from noble and hidalgo people.

Be very alert and hardworking in this. Do not fail to learn it through carelessness or laziness. Now is the time, while you are a young girl and have time to give to it. Your heart is simple and able, like fine chalchivite and sapphire. It is able because it is not yet stained by any sin. It is pure, simple, and clean, with no bad desire mixed in. Now is the time, too, because we who gave you life are still living. You did not make or shape yourself. Your mother and I took care of that and made you, for that is the way of the world. It is no one's invention. It is the order of our lord God that children come from a man and a woman, so that people multiply and fill the land. So while we are still alive and here with you, before we die and our lord calls us, it is very important, my much-loved daughter, my dove, my firstborn, that you learn these things and know them well. Then after we die you can live with honor among honorable people. For it would not be fitting at all for you to go about gathering herbs or selling firewood, or selling green chili, salt, or saltpeter8 on the street corners. You are of good birth, descended from noble people.

8. Probably tequesquite, a natural salt gathered from the shores of the lakes of the Valley of Mexico and used in cooking.

Mira que no escojas entre los hombres el que mejor te parezca, como hacen los que van á comprar las mantas al tianguiz ó mercado: recibe el que te manda, y mira que no hagas como se hace cuando se crian las mazorcas verdes que son xilotes ó elotes, que se buscan las mejores y mas sabrosas. Mira que no desees algun hombre por ser mejor dispuesto, ni te enamores de él apasionadamente. Si fuere bien dispuesto el que te demandare, recíbele, y si fuere mal dispuesto y feo, no le deseches, toma aquel porque lo envia dios, y si no le quisieres recibir, él burlaráse de tí, deshonrarte há trabajando á ver tu cuerpo por mala via, y despues te pregonará por mala muger.

Look that you do not choose among the men the one who seems best to you, as do those who go to buy the cloaks at the tianguiz or market: receive the one who asks for you [manda], and look that you do not do as is done when the green ears are growing, which are xilotes or elotes, that the best and most savory are sought. Look that you do not desire some man for being better formed, nor fall in love with him passionately. If he who asks for you is well formed, receive him, and if he is ill formed and ugly, do not reject him, take that one because god sends him, and if you will not receive him, he will mock you, he will dishonor you, working to see your body by a bad way, and afterward he will proclaim you a bad woman.

Do not pick out the man who looks best to you, the way people do when they go to the tianguiz, the market, to buy cloaks. Take the one who asks for you. And do not do what people do when the green ears of corn, the xilotes or elotes,9 are growing, searching for the best and tastiest. Do not want a man because he is better looking, and do not fall passionately in love with him. If the man who asks for you is handsome, accept him. If he is ill-favored and ugly, do not turn him down either. Take him, because god sends him. If you will not accept him, he will mock you. He will dishonor you, trying by wicked means to see your body, and afterward he will go about calling you a bad woman.

9. Young green ears of maize: the xilotl before its kernels form, the elotl when they are soft.

Esto que he dicho hija mia, te doy por tu doctrina para que te sepas valer, y con esto hago contigo lo que debo delante de Dios; si lo perdieres y lo olvidares, sea á tu cargo que yo ya hice mi deber. ¡Oh hija mia y muy amada primogénita! seas bienaventurada, y nuestro señor te tenga en paz y reposo.

This that I have said, my daughter, I give you for your doctrine so that you may know how to help yourself, and with this I do with you what I owe before God; if you lose it and forget it, let it be on your charge, for I have already done my duty. Oh my daughter and very beloved firstborn! may you be blessed, and our lord keep you in peace and rest.

What I have told you, my daughter, I give you as teaching, so that you will know how to look after yourself. With this I have done for you what I owe before God. If you lose it and forget it, that will be your own fault, for I have done my duty. Oh my daughter, my much-loved firstborn, may you be happy, and may our lord keep you in peace and rest.