Principal English Translation:
terrace, embankment, or a sloping semi-terrace field (typically planted in magueyes?)
A term found in studies of terracing and other land use. See, for example, the research of R. Hunter, 2009, or A. Sluyter 1992 and 2002. (SW)
possibly a raised-bed type of agriculture, perhaps a chinampa precursor
Look for an article or thesis entitled, "Metlapantle: The Raised-Bed Garden of the Basin of Mexico," summarized by Google AI without providing a citation.
Attestations from sources in Spanish:
oncan calnahuac nahui metepantli = ahí junto a la casa, cuatro metepantles (Santa Ana Acolco, Tlaxcala, 1563)
Vidas y bienes olvidados: Testamentos indígenas novohispanos, vol. 1, Testamentos en castellano del siglo XVI y en náhuatl y castellano de Ocotelulco de los siglos XVI y XVII, eds. Teresa Rojas Rabiela, Elsa Leticia Rea López, y Constantino Medina Lima (Mexico: CIESAS, 1999), 182–183.