El pueblo de San Juan esta en comarca de Tescuco: hera antiguamente cabeça de prouinçia por que le reconoçian los pueblos comarcanos en tienpo de su gentilidad, y eran los pueblos, Otunba, Tepeapulco, Tlaquilpa y otros comarcanos hasta que Neçahualcoyotzin señor de Tescuco los tiraniso y subgeto con guerra. Antiguamente dizen los naturales fue muy poblada de gente en mucha cantidad, y al presente tiene mill y seyscientos tributarios por tasaçion, sin la gente menuda; dizen los naturales que murieron munchos dellos de vna enfermedad que se recresio, un año antes del descubrimiento desta Nueua España: no esta fundado en pueblo formado, sino de casas derramadas: es la gente del dicho pueblo gente pulida y de buenos entendimientos, biben siempre de labranças; la lengua que hablan es la mejicana y muy pocos dellos la otomi y popoluca. Llamase el pueblo de San Juan, en lengua de yndios Teutiguacan, que quiere dezir «templo de dioses», por que en el dicho pueblo estaua el oraculo donde ydolatrauan los yndios mexicanos y de los demas pueblos de a la redonda. En tienpo de su gentilidad fueron gente y republica sobre si, sin reconocer a nadie sino a sus señores naturales que llamaban chichimecas, hasta que Nesagualcoyotzin, señor de Tescuco, tiranizo toda la comarca matando a los hijos de Tetzotzomoctli, señor de Escaputzalco a quien todos reconocian, por guerra, e despues de su muerte de Tetzotzomoctli el dicho Netzagualcoyotzi se hizo poderoso aliandose con Montesuma señor de Mexico; repartieron las tierras del pueblo de San Juan y Aculma entre si los sobredichos, a los quales los naturales del pueblo de San Juan daban en reconoçimiento cada ochenta dias: algunas mantas de nequen gruesas que llaman Ichtilmates y algunas cargas de pencas de maguey de esas que llaman metlontli. Thenian por ydolo principal a Guitzilopochtli, el qual por mayor beneraçion estaua en la çiudad de Mexico en el çerro de Chapultepeque; sin este abia otros ydolos menores en el pueblo de San Juan, que era el tenplo y oraculo donde acudian los pueblos comarcanos: tenian en el dicho pueblo vn «cu» muy alto en el qual avia tres descansos para poder subir a lo alto; en la cunbre del estaua vn ydolo de piedra que llamauan por nonbre Tonacateuctli, el qual era de vna piedra tosca y muy dura, todo de vna pieça: tenia tres braças grandes en largo y otra en ancho y otra de gordor: estaua buelto al poniente, y en vn llano que se azia delante del dicho cu estaba otro cu mas pequeño de tres estados en alto en el qual estaua otro ydolo poco menor que el primero llamado Mictlanteuctli que quiere dezir «señor del ynfierno»: este estaua buelto azia el primero asentado sobre vna peña grande quadrada de vna bara en quadra por todas partes; poco mas adelante, a la parte del norte, estaua otro cu poco menor que el primero que llamauan el çerro de la luna, en lo alto del qual estaua otro ydolo grande de casi tres braças que llamauan la Luna; a la rredonda del auia muchos «cues» en vno de los quales, el mayor dellos, avia otros seis ydolos que llamaban hermanos de la Luna, a todos los quales los saçerdotes de Montesuma señor de Mexico benian, con el dicho Montesuma, cada veinte dias a sacrificar: thenian todo el año diez y ocho fiestas, cada veinte dias vna fiesta, en cada vna de las quales tenian diferentes serimonias, como esta declarado en la discripçion del pueblo de Aculma, a que me rrefiero, al numero catorze: sobraban çinco dias en vn año que ese era bisiesto porque cada quatro años serraban al numero de beynte que era vna fiesta en vna plaça grande que se hazia entre los dichos cues; en medio della avia un cu pequeño de dos estados en alto donde justiçiaban a los malhechores y delinquentes. A la persona que hurtaua elotes o calabaças o frisoles, avnque fuese pequeño, era condenado a que pagase por cada masorca o calabaça que vrtaua vna mantilla que llaman quachtli, y si no tenia con que pagar yncurria en pena de muerte que le dauan con piedras en la cabeça, publicamente, por ejenplo de otros. A las personas que hurtauan ropa o plumas o piedras o otra cosa de balor, si no pareçia el hurto yncurria en pena de muerte, y pareçiendo el vrto lo reserbaban de muerte y quedaban por esclavos perpetuos. Aviendose casado algun yndio y yndia con las serimonias que acostumbraban, si por ventura no se trataban bien y reñian a menudo, el principal yndio, que era mayoral del barrio donde moraban, los llamaba y preguntaba que por que rrazon reñian, y siendo muger natural si se quejaba que su marido no la probeia de lo neçesario ni trauajaba en sus millpas y grangerias para sustentarse, sino que andaba olgazan, era causa a que los apartauan y lo mesmo si la muger era holgazana y no acudia a seruir a su marido y, apartados, partian entre si los bienes que tenian ygualmente. Tenian guerras con los de Guejocingo y Atrisco, peleauan con arcos y flechas y macanas; su traje comun de los principales era mantas de nequen delgadas y vn maxtle y cutaras en tienpo de paz, y en tienpo de guerra los prinçipales y otras personas que se abian señalado en la guerra yban armados con armas de algodon y de bichos diferentes por que vnos yban hechos garças, otros anades, otros aguilas, otros con cueros de animales, hechos leones o tigres o lobos o benados u otros animales: la gente comun solo llevaban arcos y flechas sin otra debisa alguna: los maçeguales andauan en cueros eçepto vna manta gorda de nequen y vn maxtle: bisten agora todos mantas y camisas y saragueles de algodon, duermen en alto y cubren freçadas, comen buenas biandas de maiz cozido, aves domesticas y de caça, carne de baca y carnero los mas dellos; y antiguamente se sustentauan con hojas de tunas y pencas de maguei cozido y rayzes y ratones y culebras y otras sabandijas: biuian mas sanos con ello y por estar mas acostumbrados y egerçitados en trabajos que agora; entienden los naturales que el regalo que agora tienen les es causa de enfermedad, y lo poco que trabajan, por que con qualquier eçeso que hagan caen en enfermedad, y mas con el pulque que acostumbran a beber desde pequeños, que les es muy dañoso. Es tierra sana, avnque algunas vezes enferman los naturales de dolor de cabeza y calenturas, las quales enfermedades curan con yerbas y rayzes de calidad fria. Tienen cantidad de serezas de la tierra que lleban fruta, y muchos tunales y magueyes de que se sustentan y benden a los pueblos comarcanos. Cogese mucho mais en el dicho pueblo y sus terminos, y frisoles y guautle y chia para su sustento; danse algunas y ortalizas de Spaña. Biben todos los naturales del dicho pueblo y sus subjetos en casas de piedra y adobe con terrados: son las casas de los prinçipales de edifiçio airoso y bien labrado. Son ynclinados a labranças y los frutos dellas; es su prinçipal contrataçion criar aves de Castilla y de la tierra de que se sustentan, sin tener otra contrataçion.

The town of San Juan lies in the district of Tescuco. Long ago, before the people became Christians, it was the head of a province, because the towns around it recognized it as their head: Otunba, Tepeapulco, Tlaquilpa and others nearby. This lasted until Neçahualcoyotzin, lord of Tescuco, seized them by force and conquered them in war. The natives say that in ancient times the town had a great many people. Now it has 1,600 tributaries by the official count, not counting the children and others under them. The natives say that many of them died of a sickness that broke out a year before the discovery of this New Spain. The town is not laid out in streets; its houses are scattered. Its people are well mannered and intelligent, and they have always lived by farming. They speak Mexican, and a very few speak Otomi and Popoluca. In the Indians' language the town of San Juan is called Teutiguacan, which means “temple of gods.” It has this name because the oracle stood here where the Mexican Indians and the other towns round about worshiped their idols. Before they became Christians, they were a people and a state of their own. They recognized no one but their own lords, whom they called chichimecas. Then Nesagualcoyotzin, lord of Tescuco, seized the whole district by force, killing in war the sons of Tetzotzomoctli, lord of Escaputzalco, whom everyone had recognized. After Tetzotzomoctli's death, Netzagualcoyotzi grew powerful by allying himself with Montesuma, lord of Mexico. These two divided the lands of San Juan and Aculma between them. Every eighty days, as a sign that they were their lords, the people of San Juan gave them some coarse cloaks of nequen (maguey fiber), which they call ichtilmates, and some loads of maguey leaves of the kind they call metlontli. Their chief idol was Guitzilopochtli, which for greater honor stood in the city of Mexico, on the hill of Chapultepeque. Besides this one there were other, lesser idols in the town of San Juan, which was the temple and oracle to which the neighboring towns came. In the town they had a very high cu, a temple-pyramid, with three landings on the way up to the top. On its summit stood a stone idol they called Tonacateuctli. It was of rough, very hard stone, all of one piece, three good fathoms long, one wide and one thick, and it faced west. On a level space in front of this cu stood a smaller cu, three times a man's height, with another idol a little smaller than the first, called Mictlanteuctli, which means “lord of hell.” It faced the first idol and sat on a great square stone, a yard on each side. A little farther on, to the north, was another cu, a little smaller than the first, which they called the hill of the Moon. On top of it stood another great idol, almost three fathoms tall, which they called the Moon. Around it were many cues. In the largest of these stood six more idols, which they called the brothers of the Moon. The priests of Montesuma, lord of Mexico, came with Montesuma himself every twenty days to sacrifice to all of them. They had eighteen feasts in the year, one every twenty days, each with its own ceremonies, as I have set down in the description of Aculma, under number fourteen. Five days were left over in the year, and every four years, in a leap year, they made up a count of twenty, which was a feast held in a great square laid out among these cues. In the middle of the square was a small cu, twice a man's height, where they executed criminals and wrongdoers. Anyone who stole green ears of corn, squashes or beans, however small the theft, was sentenced to pay a small cloak, which they call quachtli, for each ear or squash he took. If he had nothing to pay with, he was put to death: they killed him in public with stones to the head, as a lesson to others. Those who stole clothing, feathers, precious stones or anything else of value were put to death if the stolen goods did not turn up. If the goods were found, they were spared from death but became slaves for life. When a man and a woman had married with the usual ceremonies, and then did not treat each other well and quarreled often, the leading man who was headman of their ward called them in and asked why they quarreled. If the wife, a woman of the town, complained that her husband did not provide for her or work his cornfields and other plots to support them, but went about idle, that was grounds for separating them. The same held if the wife was lazy and did not see to her husband's needs. Once separated, they divided what they owned equally between them. They made war on the people of Guejocingo and Atrisco, fighting with bows and arrows and macanas. In time of peace the lords wore thin cloaks of nequen, a maxtle (loincloth) and sandals. In time of war, the lords and others who had distinguished themselves in battle went armed in quilted cotton armor and dressed as different creatures: some as herons, others as ducks, others as eagles, others in animal skins, as lions, tigers, wolves, deer or other animals. The common people carried only bows and arrows, with no other emblem. The maçeguales went about naked except for a coarse nequen cloak and a maxtle. Now they all wear cotton cloaks, shirts and breeches. They sleep up off the ground and cover themselves with blankets. Most of them eat good food: cooked maize, chickens and game, beef and mutton. In the old days they lived on prickly-pear pads, cooked maguey leaves, roots, rats, snakes and other small creatures. They were healthier on that food, and because they were more used to hard work than they are now. The natives believe that the comforts they have now make them ill, and so does working so little. Any excess makes them sick, and above all the pulque they drink from childhood, which does them great harm. The land is healthy, though sometimes the natives suffer from headaches and fevers. They cure these illnesses with herbs and roots of a cold nature. They have many native cherry trees that bear fruit, and many prickly pears and magueys, which they live on and sell to the towns nearby. Much maize is harvested in the town and its lands, as well as beans, guautle and chia, on which they live. Some Spanish vegetables also grow there. All the people of the town and its villages live in houses of stone and adobe with flat roofs. The houses of the lords are handsome and well built. They are given to farming and what it yields. Their chief business is raising chickens and native turkeys, which they live on; they have no other trade.