paper (originally made from fig bark, from the ficus tree) or the tree itself; a letter; a document; not knowing "paper" meant not knowing "writing" (i.e. not knowing how to write), not being literate; San Pablito Pahuatlan, in the Sierra Norte de Puebla, is a town where the amatl paper-making tradition has been conserved
Auh in nanaoatzin, çan amatl, inic conquailpique: contzonilpique, itoca iamatzon: yoan iamaneapanal, yoan iamamastli. = But [as for] Nanauatzin, they bound on his headdress of mere paper and tied on his hair, called his paper hair. And [they gave him] his paper stole and his paper breech clout. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
auh ynjn amatl catca quaoamatl, amo texamatl: ynic tilaoac cenmapilli: auh ynjc patlaoac cenmatl: auh ynjc vijac cempoalmatl = And this was a paper, white paper and not yellow paper, a finger thick, a fathom wide, and twenty fathoms long. (sixteenth century, Mexico City)
Auh ynnovian calpan, in techachan: yoan in tetelpuchcalco, in cacalpulco, noujian qujquetzaia, matlaquauhpitzaoac, tzonioquauhtl, itech qujtlatlaliaia amateteujtl, vltica tlaulchipinilli, tlavlchachapatztli. = And everywhere, in the houses, in each home, in each of the quarters where the young warriors were trained, and in each tribal temple, everywhere they erected the slender green poles; on them, they placed white paper flags dotted with large and small drops of liquid rubber. (sixteenth century, central Mexico)
nāmauh = my paper
"they drew together the legs of the dead man, and wrapped him all over with paper called amatl" (Valley of Mexico, 1570–1587)
yn yecnemiliznemachtilizamatl = the book teaching proper living (scripture)
auh mochintin ynin que teteuctin amo omazicamat ynin tlachihualiz. Ypanpa inícuac ocalla que yncaxtilteca mochí opolíuhque ynín tlacuilol Amahuan = But the accomplishments of all these lords are not found in the painted books. (When the Spaniards entered, they destroyed all these books.)
yn aquin amamatl quimati Amapan quitoz yn ixquich ycuiliuhtica ypan oras = He who knows how to read will speak from the document all that is written in the book of hours.
qujmamatlapaltia, amatl (quimamatlapaltia, amatl) = they gave them paper wings (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
auh tla itla amatl nesitihu Cacmo neltocos ica Ca huel nestica ipan in huehue testamento Ca tlalcohuali ihuan totlalnemac = And if any paper should appear it is not to be believed, since it well appears in the old will that it is purchased land and our land by gift. (Azcapotzalco, 1738)
ypan Amal de poSeSion = in the document of possession (San Pedro Calimaya, Toluca Valley, 1763)
auh niman ye quihuica holli copalli. amatl. xochitl. in yetl. yhuan yn itoca tlacatlaqualli. ye quitlamanilizque yn teotl = And then he took rubber, copal incense, paper, flowers, tobacco, and what are called abstinence foods with which they were to make offerings to the god. (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
auh in iquezpan quimamanticatca iacatecpaio: in iezpan çan amatl = And at his hips he carried his blood banner, just of paper. (Mexico City, sixteenth century)
James Lockhart [personal communication] says that the translation "document" is sometimes less appropriate than "letter," since the term documento was not used much in this context, and many documents were called cartas.
tlatocaamatl = ruler papers
ma quimatican yn yxquichtin quitazque ynin amatl = may all who see this document know it; (San Pablo Tepemaxalco, Toluca Valley, 1654)
se amatl mopixtica = a document is preserved (Mexico, sixteenth-century)
amatzintli yn tlaneltilis = the papers to verify (San Pablo Tepemaxalco, Toluca Valley, 1654)
ynin amal y nomemoria destamento = this document, my memorandum of testament (San Pablo Tepemaxalco, Toluca Valley, 1681)
nimã quicuaja yn iezço caxtica, yoã aço amatl contlaçaia in caxic, quichichinaltiaya y eztlj = They then collected the blood in a bowl and perhaps cast a paper into the bowl, which absorbed the blood. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
yc niman ye quitlani amatl, ytztli, niman ye quihtohua in Mexica, çan tiquinnacaztlaztihui yn tomallhuan ompa yn inyeccampa = at once they asked for paper and obsidian. Then the Mexica said: We shall just remove our captives’ ears, those on their right side. (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
ye quitta yn amatl = is looking at a page (late sixteenth century, Central Mexico)
in amatl in copalli yoã in tlemaytl in ie isquich ytech monequiz tzapotlacatl yn icoac miquia ypã tepeilvitl. = the papers, the copal, and the incense ladle everything that was required when [the impersonator of] the Lord of Zapotlan died. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
"...a length of straw with paper knots was 'a ladder for descending into hell' for his deceased offspring; a piece of bark paper tied to the straw was the ladder's runner; finally, two small straw brooms he had made were for sweeping the place where they would place an offering of tamales and a skewered rabbit for the nourishment of his dead son and daughter." Part of a testimony from an inquisitorial proceeding for activities in Epazoyucan in 1572.
ioan iztac quauhamatl = and white paper made of the bark of trees (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
In axcan ma xoiatiuh in vnpa omjtzamapouh, in vnpa omjtzcopalpouh in monantzin, in motatzin in calmecac, in choqujzcali, in jxaiocali, in tlaoculcali, in vncan mopitza, momamali: in vncan xotla, cueponj in tepilhoan: in vncan cozcateuh, quetzalteuh motemanilia, motevipanjlia in totecujo in tloque, naoaque: in vncan moteicnoittilia, in vncan motepepenjlia in jpalnemoa = Now go where thy mother, thy father have dedicated thee with paper, with incense, to the calmecac, the house of weeping, the house of tears, the house of sadness, where the sons of noblemen are cast, are perforated; where they bud, where they blossom; where like precious necklaces, like precious feathers they are placed, ordered by our lord, the lord of the near, of the nigh; where he by whom we live showeth compassion, where he selecteth one (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Maҫol Itechpa mjtoa: intla tlacujtivetzi, aҫo temacuex, aҫo teamauh, anoҫo itla oc centlamantli cana mopia, vmpa concujtivetzi, intlanel tanaco, intlanel noҫo canjn: in vmpa mopia in itla pialonj = Old hand It is said of one if he seizes either one's bracelets or one's book, or something else guarded somewhere. He seizes it from there, even though in a basket, or no matter where, there where is guarded something worthy of being guarded (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
amatl tlaquiloli motocallotia Carta de Benta escriptura tlalnamaquilistli = a letter, a piece of writing called a Bill of Sale, a document of land sale (Toluca, 1756)
otictlalique yni amatl ypan yni xihuitl de 1521 = We have set down the book in the year of 1521. (Tepetlaoztoc, sixteenth century)
Auh in oioac, in oacic tlatlapizalizpan: niman ie ic quipeoaltia in amaxotla, achtopa quitequia in itech poui in tletl, quitoaia xiuhtecutli, tlalxictẽtica = And when night had fallen, when the time of blowing shell trumpets arrived, thereupon they began cutting lengths of paper. First they cut what pertained to the fire [god], whom they called Xiuhtecutli [or] Tlalxictentica. (16th century, Mexico City)
auh yn axcan ca ompa nechimitlanilia yn noamahuan ynic ytech quitasque cuix melahuac noaxca yn tlali Apantenco = y ahora me piden mis papeles allí para que de ellos se vea si las tierras en Apantenco son verdaderamente de mi propiedad (Amecameca, 1746)
Yece inic yuhqui mochihuaz, quiqualcuizque in inteopixcahuan (nozo P. Cura, nozo P. Vicario) ce amatontli. = Empero para así se hará la llevarán los sus curas o Padre Cura, o Padre Vicario un papelito (receta) (centro de México, s. XVIII)
çan iuh quicauhque yn bleyto aocmo yaluhuac yn Mexico mochi quihuica yn bribilegios cedulas y quexquich mopia cauildo amame = así dejaron el pleito, ya no fueron más a México. Habían llevado todos los privilegios, las cédulas, todos los papeles que se guardan en el cabildo (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
Yn iquac açico jobileo amatl quihualhuicaque deatinostin = Entonces llegó el documento del Jubileo, lo trajeron los teatinos (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
oncan niqincagua mochin amame = ahí dejo todos los papeles (Azcapotzalco, 1639)
amatzintli onimacoc ynic mochtintzitzin oncan omofirmatique auh mopixti catqui yn amatzintli auh yn axcan noyollocacopa yntehtzinco ninocauhtiuh yn notelpochhuan = me dieron un papel firmado de todos los caciques y principales para que lo guardaran, y es mi última [voluntad] que mis hijos ahora guarden dicho instrumento con gran cuidado (Tepotzotlan, 1631)
ca onca amatl yc neci naxca = que tengo los títulos por donde conste ser mías (Tepexi de la Seda, 1621)
ca nicpie yn amatl onimacoc onpa tlacpac ca nica nocahuillitiuh yn santa ynglecia amo yc nicnotlatquilia oca omopie[lia] ya yn itlatquitzitzhua satu Sa Bartulome = que los títulos están en mi poder, que se me dieron en el palacio alto y ahora lo doy a la iglesia porque siempre se guardaban allí los bienes del señor San Bartolomé (San Francisco Temascalapan, Edo de México, 1598)
iquac omoch[i] cugrecasio ca nochi onicuixti catca onictzitzquiti catca yn altepetl yn amatl = al tiempo que se hicieron las congregaciones lo gobernaba yo todo, y quedaron en mi poder todos los papeles y recaudos (San Francisco Temascalapan, Edo de México, 1598)
yn ce amatl mopixtica yn no nechmonemactilitehuac yn tohueytlatocatzin don Luis de Velasco [vi]sorey gobernador = unos papeles de merced que se me dio por el excelentísimo señor don Luiz de Velasco, virrey capitán general que fue desta Nueva España (Tenango del Valle, Toluca, 1570)
ynicmacac 12 tomines timoecchiuhque niquistizquia amatl amo quinequi = le dí doce reales en que nos compusimos, quise sacar papel y no quiso
Auh y quemaniayan temachtiaya guardian Soto çan amatipa quiztcaya = Y algunas veces enseñaba el guardián Soto, que iba mirando el libro (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
tilahuac amatl quimacaque yn ipan momachtiaya = les dieron un libro grueso sobre el cual estudiaban (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
no sé escribir, señalo con cruz [para dar veracidad] = amo quimati amatl ça quiquez croz + yc nelli (Santa Bárbara, 1593)
amo amatli quimiati [sic] san cruz yca tlamachiyotique = no saben escribir y señalaron con cruz (Santa Ana Acolco, ca. 1600)
qujmamatlapaltia, amatl = ponjanlos vnas alas de papel como angeles (centro de México, s. XVI)
"Amatl, 'papel,' llegó a significar documento (como ocurre en castellano y otras lenguas), y se asociaba también con alfabetización. Amo quimati amatl, literalmente 'no sabe papel,' significaba 'no sabe escribir." (Tlaxcala, s. XVI)
Yhua yztac Amatl yC otiCuhque çe peSo yhua nahui domi, 1 pos 4 tm = Y [por el] papel blanco compramos por un peso [y] cuatro tomines. (San Andrés Chiautla, 1638)
amatzintli = papel [libro] [rev.]
yhoan cequintin amo tiquiximati amatl zan tomatica tiquetza cruz = los demas que no saben les hizimos la cruz con nuestras manos (Ciudad de México, 1578)
a:mat = amatl
Naja a:huil tit ne a:mat se tzunzu:cul uan at. = Yo dibujo en el cuaderno un ca:ntaro con agua. A:xan naja niquiga ne a:mat ga:tan at. = Ahora yo llevo la carta debajo del agua. (Sonsonate, El Salvador, Nahuat or Pipil, s. XX)
Maҫol Itechpa mjtoa: intla tlacujtivetzi, aҫo temacuex, aҫo teamauh, anoҫo itla oc centlamantli cana mopia, vmpa concujtivetzi, intlanel tanaco, intlanel noҫo canjn: in vmpa mopia in itla pialonj = Arrebatador o arañador. Este refran se dize: de aquellos que qualqujera cosa que veen en las manos de los otros se la arrebatan o toman lo que esta guardado aunque este a buen recaudo (centro de México, s. XVI)
amame = papeles (Amecameca, 1746)
yhuan oc se amatli conquista mexino [sic] quipia onpohuali yhuan matlactli omome izhuatl = y otro papel Conquista de México que tiene cincuenta y dos fojas (Quauhtinchan, s. XVI)
Tlein amo tiquinmopohuilia in amame? = Qué no lee vd. los papeles? (México, s. XIX)