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Nican Mopohua (“Thus It Is Told”)

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Chapter 3: The Second Visit to the Bishop

(Go to English version of this chapter.)
068. Auh in imoztlayoc Domingo, huel oc yohuatzinco tlatlayohuatoc, ompa hualquiz in ichan huallamelauh in Tlatilolco, quimattihuitz in teoyotl ihuan inic tepohualoz: niman ye inic quittaz Teopixcatlatoani. On the following day, Sunday, while it was still night, everything was still dark, he left there, he left his house, he came straight to Tlatilolco, he came to learn what pertains to God and to be counted in roll call; then to see the Reverend Bishop.
069. Auh azo ya ipan matlactli hora in onecencahualoc inic omocac misa, ihuan otepohualoc, in hualxin in ixquich macehualli. And around ten o'clock everything had been taken care of: Mass was over and roll had been called and the crowd had gone away.
070. Auh in yehuatl Juan Diego niman ic ya in itecpanchantzinco in Tlatoani Obispo. And Juan Diego went to the Reverend Bishop's residence.
Form Challenge 070: With the imposition of Spanish life in Mexico, Nahuatl and Spanish began to absorb words from each other. Just as Nahuatl xocoyotl = youngest child produced modern Spanish jocoyote, so lines 68-70 of this chapter reveal some Spanish words imported into Nahuatl. What are they?
071. Auh in oacito ixquich itlapal oquichiuh inic oquimottiliz; auh huel ohuitica in occeppa quimottili. And as soon as he arrived he went through the whole struggle to see him, and after much effort he saw him again.
072. Icxitlantzinco motlancuaquetz, choca, tlaocoya in ic quimononochilia, in ic quimixpantilia in i'iyotzin in tlatoitzin in Ilhuicac Cihuapilli, He knelt at his feet, he wept, he became sad as he spoke to him, as he revealed to him the breath, the words, of the Queen of Heaven,
073. inic azo zanen neltocoz in inetitlaniz in itlanequiliztzin Cenquizca Ichpochtli, inic quimochihuililizque, inic quimoquechililizque in iteocaltzin in canin omotlatenehuili in canin quimonequiltia. that the errand, the will, of the Perfect Virgin would be believed, of making for her, of building her sacred little house for her, where she had said, where she wanted it.
074. Auh in Tlatoani Obispo huel miac tlamantli inic quitlatlani, quitlatemoli, inic huel iyollo maciz, campa in quimottili, quenamecatzintli; huel moch quipohuilili in Tlatoani Obispo. And the Governing Bishop asked him many, many things, pursued many, many, questions with him, to make certain of where he had seen her, what she was like; he told absolutely everything to the Señor Bishop.
Quetzalcoatl at Tepeyac Content Challenge 074: The Nahuatl text varies between "tlatoani obispo" ("lord bishop") and "teopixca-tlatoani" ("lord of priests") for Bishop Zumárraga. The term "tlatoani" has a long history in Nahuatl. It originally seems to have meant "speaker" or "spokesman," but in pre-Christian times it was used, perhaps principally, to refer to the Aztec "emperor." Why is it applied to the Bishop? Is "Señor" a useful English translation? Why (not)? In the present translation the bishop has been called a "governing priest" when he is teopixca-tlatoani, "Reverend Bishop" elsewhere. Is that any better? What are other possibilities?

The picture shows the spring at the shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe at Tepeyac flowing out of the mouth of the god Quetzalcoatl, as modeled on his representation at the Classic Era shrine site of the Citadel at Teotihuacan. What should we make of this continuing use of the image of the ancient "feathered serpent god" at a modern Catholic shrine?
075. Auh macihui in huel moch quimomelahuilili in yuhcatzintli, ihuan in ixquich oquittac, oquimahuizo inca huel yuh neci ca Yehuatzin iz Cenquizca Ichpochtzintli in Itlazomahuiznantzin in Totemaquixticatzin Totecuiyo Jesucristo. And although he told him absolutely everything, and that in everything, he saw and marveled that it appeared with absolute clarity that she was the Perfect Virgin, the Kind and Wondrous Mother of Our Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Form Challenge 075: The string of titles at the end of this line exhibits the stretch to provide Nahuatl terms corresponding to Catholic religious titles. What are the parts of "totemaquixticatzin," corresponding to the English "Our Savior"?
076. Yece amo niman ic omonelchiuh. nevertheless he still was not believed.
077. Quitto ca amo zan ica itlatol itlaitlaniliz mochihuaz moneltiliz in tlein quitlani, He said that not simply on the basis of his word would his petition be carried out, would what he requested happen,
078. ca huel oc itla inezca monequi inic huel neltocoz in quenin huel Yehuatzin quimotitlanilia in Ilhuicac Cihuapilli. but that some other sign would be necessary if he were really to believe how the Queen of Heaven in person was sending him.
Form Challenge 078: Why is "Yehuatzin" capitalized?
079. Auh in oyuhquicac in Juan Diego quimolhuili in Obispo: As soon as Juan Diego heard that, he said to the Bishop:
080. "Tlacatlé, Tlatoanié, ma xicmottili catlehuatl yez in inezca ticmitlanilia ca niman niyaz niquitlanililitiuh in Ilhuicac Cihuapilli onechhualmotitlanili". "Señor Governor, think about what the sign you ask for will be, because then I will go to ask for it of the Queen of Heaven who sent me."
Content Challenge 080: Isn't Juan Diego going out on a limb with this promise? Did the Virgin really say he could promise a sign on her behalf?
081. Auh in oquittac in Obispo ca huel monelchihua ca niman atle ic meleltia, motzotzona, niman ic quihua. And when the Bishop saw that he was in agreement, that he did not hesitate or doubt in the slightest, he dismisses him.
082. Auh in ye huitz, niman ic quinmonahuatili quezqui in ichantlaca, in huel intech motlacanequi, quihualtepotztocazque, huel quipipiazque campa in yauh, ihuan aquin conitta connotza. And as soon as he is on his way, he orders some of household staff in whom he had absolute trust to go along following him, to carefully observe where he was going, whom he was seeing, to whom he was talking.
083. Tel iuh mochiuh. Auh in Juan Diego niman ic huallamelauh, quitocac in cuepotli. And that's what they did. And Juan Diego came directly. He took the causeway.

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