a skirt, a petticoat; often, an indigenous woman's skirt; some skirts were made of fabric, some of leather; sometimes paired with huipilli (blouse) as a metaphor for "woman"
"plumis preciosis, ita vocatís inter nos, quetzalli, numero, centum, et etiam frumento cum oneribus centum quadragínta, et vestibus viginti et centum, quadraginta vestibus sic dictis vipillí, et totidem vestibus sic etiam dictis, Cueitl, quibus vtuntur mulieres indȩ." = the precious feathers that among us are called quetzalli, a hundred in number, and also with a hundred and forty weight of grain, a hundred and twenty garments, forty of the so-called huipils, and the same number of the so-called cueitl as well, which Indian women wear." (a Latin text written by a Nahua from Tlaxcala for litigation regarding land in Tula, 1541)
Chicocuejtl, patlaoac in jten: coatlaxipeoallo cueitl, patlaoac in jten, xicalcoliuhquj cueitl, patlaoac in jten, tetenacazio cuejtl, patlaoac in jten, tlilpipitzaoac cueitl, patlaoac in jten: cacamoliuhquj iztac cueitl, patlaoac in jten, oçelcuejtl, patlaoac in jtẽ; quappachpipilcac cuejtl, tene: coioichcapipilcac cuejtl tene = The skirt with an irregular [design], having a wide border; the skirt with serpent skins, having a wide border; the skirt with the step meander, having a wide border, the skirt with squared corner stones, having a wide border; the skirt with thin, black lines, having a wide border; the white skirt [like a] bed covering, having a wide border; the ocelot skin skirt, having a wide border; the skirt with brown pendants, having a border; the skirt with coyote fur pendants, having a border (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
cueitl, huipilli = "If it was a girl, a huipilli and cueitl, girls' clothes, as well as a case, a distaff, and a spindle -- all things concerned with sewing -- would be given to her." (Central Mexico, 1571–1615)
in ticueye in tivipille in pilli tiçivauh tiçivauh in tequiva tiçivauh in achcauhtli tiçivauh = you with the skirts, you with the wives of valiant warriors, you the wives of the constables
ioan imeoacue in incioaoa, ca iehoantin quiiamania, quioaoana = their women's skirts are leather; they (the women) soften it and scrape it (Tlatelolco, 1540–80)
noxhuiuh ytoCa maria Bauhtista nicmaCatiuh Centetl huipili yhuan Centetl Cueytl Ce Sotl morado se Sotl berde yhua Centetl metlatl = I am giving my grandchild María Bautista a huipil, a skirt with one length purple and one length green, and a metate. (1673, Mexico City)
yn itoca Juan diego nechhuiquilia çentetl tzomihuipili yhuan çenSotl tzomicueytl = one named Juan Diego owes me a huipil of wool and a skirt of wool of one standard length (San Miguel Aticpac, Toluca Valley, 1707)
The cueitl, or female skirt, was a wide piece of cotton, maguey, yucca, or palm-fiber cloth wrapped around the lower body and secured on the waist. It was worn by women throughout Mesoamerica.
in tecueye in tivipille in pilli tiçivauh in tecutli tiçivauh in tequiva tiçivauh in achcauhtli tiçuvauh (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
cueytl huipilli quitetlatlalochtia = They took and ran off with the women
auh in ichpochtli mochichiuaia yancuic yn icue, ioan yn ivipil: mopotoniaya = And the maidens arrayed themselves; their skirts and shifts were new. They pasted themselves with red feathers. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
ce huipilli yztac tonaltecayotl yhuan ce cueitl mexicayotl xoxouqui = a white huipil in the Tonallan style and a green Mexica-style skirt (Saltillo, 1627)
auh njcan tonoc, njcã tica in tiquauhtli, in tocelotl: aviz ie tehoatl, in ticueitl, tivipilli = And here thou art settled, here thou art present, thou who art the eagle warrior, the ocelot warrior. And here art thou who art a woman (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Auh in cihoapiltontli, qujcencavilia cuetontli, vipiltontli, ioan in jxqujch cioatlatqujtl, tanatontli, malacatl, tzotzopaztli = And they prepared for the baby girl a little skirt, a little shift, and all the equipment of women, the little reed basket, the spinning whorl, the batten (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Ihuan ma yecuel ticmocuitlahui tiquelehui in cueitl, i huipilli; teahuilquixti, teizolo, tecatzauh, tetlahuelilocatili = Cuídate todavía de desear la falda, el huipil, porque infama, deshonra, ensucia, pervierte (centro de México, s. XVI)
cetetl cueytl posta onteca monamacaz yhua netlapacholoni etetl monamacaz nochi tlatzontli = una falda de posta amplia se venderá y una cobija que está toda cosida (Amecameca, 1625)
ce huipilli telpilli yhua cueytl otetl tzomitl dellal = un huepil trenzado [una falda] y unas nahuas de un lienzo de sayal (Amecameca, 1625)
uncatqui yetetl notzomihuipil yhuan centetl tlamach cueytl xoxoctic = dejo tres huipiles de lana y unas naguas labradas azules (Toluca, 1621)
centetl huipilli yhuan centetl queitl = un huipil y unas nahuas (Santiago Tlatelolco, 1600)
yhuan centetl nocue monamacaz = y unas [e]naguas, mando que se venda (San Pablo Tozanitlan, México, 1576)
Yzcatqui uipilli otetl sancta yquesia ytech pouiz yuan caja yuan cueytl yuan tomin matlactli omey yuan tlapachiuhcayotl. = Este es el guipile [son dos] para la iglesia, y caja y naguas, y dineros trece, y cubija. (Ocotelulco, sin fecha)
chicontetl cueytl = siete naguas
matlactli cueytl = part of the tribute payment owed by the people of Quauhtinchan in 1523 (Quauhtinchan, sixteenth century)
yetetl tlahmachcueytl yn ontetl cueytl ypatiuh chichicohome pesos yoan nanahuitix auh yn oc centetl yeye pesos ypatiuh // yoan yetetl huipiltin mamacuili pesos ypatiuh = Y tres faldas bordadas (de labor), dos faldas de valor de siete pesos y cuatro tomines // y una más, tres pesos es su valor // y tres huipiles de cinco pesos cada uno es su valor (Tlaxcala, 1[1566] 600)