Cholula (Cholollan)

serviase con barro de cholula, de vno colorado, E otro prieto, mientras que comia, ni por pensamiento avian de hazer alboroto, ni hablar alto los de su guarda, questavan En las salas çerca de la del montezuma trayanle fruta de todas quantas abia en la tierra, mas no comia sino muy poca de quando En quando. trayan En vnas como a manera de copas de oro fino con çierta bevida hecha del mismo cacao dezian q̃ era para tener açeso con mugeres y entonçes no miravamos En ello, mas lo que yo vi, que trayan sobre çinquenta jarros grandes hechos de buen cacao, Con su espuma, y de aquello bevia y las mugeres le servian al bever, con gran acato y algunas vezes al tienpo de comer, estavan vnos yndios corcobados, muy feos, porque [era]n chicos de cuerpo, E quebrados por medio los cuerpos, [E]ntre Ellos heran chocarreros, y otros yndios que de[vian] ser truhanes, que le dezian graçias, E otros que le [c]antavan y baylavan, porquel montezuma hera afiçionado a plazeres y cantares, E aquellos mandava dar los rrelieves y jarros del cacao y las mismas quatro mugeres, alçavan los manteles, y le tornavan a dar aguamanos, E con mucho acato que le hazian E hablava el montezuma aq̃llos quatro prinçipales viejos, En cosas que le convenian y se despedian del con gran rreverençia que le tenian y el se quedava rreposando,

He was served on pottery from Cholula, some red and some black. While he ate, the men of his guard in the halls next to his would not dream of making a noise or speaking loudly. They brought him fruit of every kind the land produced, but he ate only a little now and then. From time to time they brought him, in cups of fine gold, a drink made from cacao itself. They said it was for visiting his women. At the time we paid no attention to that. But what I did see was that they brought more than fifty large jugs of good cacao, with its froth, and he drank of it. The women served him his drink with great respect. Sometimes at mealtimes there were hunchbacked Indians, very ugly, for they were small and bent nearly double. Among them they served as jesters. Other Indians, who must have been clowns, told him witty sayings, and others sang and danced for him, for Montezuma was fond of pleasures and songs. He ordered the leftovers and the jugs of cacao given to them. Then the same four women took away the tablecloths and brought him water for his hands again, with great respect. Montezuma talked with those four old chief men about matters that concerned him. They took leave of him with the great reverence they had for him, and he stayed to rest.

Había en esta tierra una ordenanza puesta por los reyes acerca de los mercados y era que constituían férias ó mercados donde se vendiesen cosas particulares por lo cual algunos mercados eran muy nombrados y seguidos lo cual era de esta manera que mandaban que en la féria de Azcapotzalco se vendiesen esclavos y que todos los de la comarca que tuviesen esclavos que vender acudiesen allí y no á otra parte á vendellos y lo mesmo en la de Izhuacan las cuales dos férias eran donde se vendían esclavos para que allí acudiesen á comprallos los que los habian menester porque ya sabían que fuera de allí no los habían de hallar en otra parte. En otras ordenaban se vendiesen joyas piedras ricas como era en la de Cholollan y plumas ricas. En otras vendían ropas y jícaras ricas como en Tetzcoco y loza curiosa y bien obrada á su modo. A la féria de Acolman habían dado que vendiesen allí perros y que todos los que los quisiesen vender acudiesen allí así á vendellos como á comprallos y así toda la mas mercadería que allí acudía eran perros chicos y medianos de toda suerte donde acudían de toda la comarca á comprar perros y hoy en día acuden porque hasta hoy hay allí el mesmo trato donde fuí un día de tianquiz por solo ser testigo de vista y satisfacerme y hallé mas de cuatrocientos perros chicos y grandes liados en cargas de ellos ya comprados y de ellos que todavía andaban en venta y era tanta la ca que había de ellos que me quedé admirado.

The kings of this land made an ordinance about the markets. They set up fairs or markets where particular goods were to be sold, so some markets became very famous and busy. It worked like this. They ordered that slaves be sold at the fair of Azcapotzalco, and that everyone in the district who had slaves to sell should go there to sell them, and nowhere else. The same was true of the fair of Izhuacan. These two fairs were where slaves were sold, so that people who needed them went there to buy them, knowing they would find them nowhere else. In other markets they ordered jewels and precious stones to be sold, as at Cholollan, along with fine feathers. Others sold cloth and fine gourd bowls, as at Tetzcoco, and fine pottery, well made in their style. To the fair of Acolman they had given the sale of dogs. All who wanted to sell or buy dogs had to go there. So most of the goods there were small and middle-sized dogs of every kind, and people came from the whole district to buy them. They still do today, because the same trade goes on there. I went there one market day, just to see it with my own eyes and satisfy myself. I found more than four hundred dogs, small and large, tied up in loads, some already sold and others still for sale. There were so many that I was amazed.