to sell something (see Molina and Karttunen); referring to workers, "hire out" is a better translation; originally meant to give in return (see Lockhart)
hau yntla onpa namacoz cuetlaxcouapan= and if he is hired out in Puebla
originally meant to give in return
When discussing workers, the verb can mean to "hire out," not necessarily "sell," as in a slave.
ycnotlacatl ycnopipiltotonti oquinnamacazquia llicendo Valdes ychan españoles mamatacti reales yca oticmaquixtique yxpan Valdes tevantin tiytlavan = El licenciado Valdés hubiera vendido a los hombres pobres y a los huérfanos a las fincas de los españoles por diez reales cada uno, pero nosotros, sus vasallos, los liberamos con esa [cantidad]