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in nantli, in tatli.
Headword:
in nantli, in tatli.
Principal English Translation:
"the mother, the father," a metaphor for the leader of the altepetl, who watches out for the macehualli (commoners) as parents would; typically, but not exclusively, the mother/motherhood is mentioned first; see also separate entries for nantli and tatli (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
Orthographic Variants:
in nantli, in tahtli
Attestations from sources in English:
Ca tināti ca titati in tetzcuco yn altepetl macihui in ca macehuali tlatoani = We are the mother and father of the altepetl of Texcoco, even if the ruler is only a commoner. (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
yn inan yn ita yn macehuali . . . yn tenanti yn tetati yn tetzcoca = Were the commoners' mother and father, [Coanacochtzin,] there? . . . those who have acted as mothers and fathers of the Texcoca (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
nenantilo, netatilo = he is made a mother, a father;
inaio, itaio (inayo, itayo) = his motherliness, his fatherliness (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
in naiotll, in taiotl = the motherhood, the fatherhood (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
The Florentine Codex, especially Book 6, also uses the mother/father pairing when speaking of rulers of the altepetl. Note the extensive use of mother/father in the discussion of the head merchant, who was a leader of people. Note also the word order, with mother coming first:
tenan, teta = the mother, the father (of people);
uel tena, uel teta (huel tena, huel teta) = the real mother, the real father;
nanchioalo, tachioalo (nancihualo, tachihualo) = he becomes a mother, a father (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Nextepeoalli, otlamaxalli nicnonantia, nicnotatia. Inin tlatolli intechpa mitoaya in cioa, anozo oquichti = I have made my mother and father the garbage heap, the crossroads. This was said of women or men who congregated on the roads. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
In elder speech, "I, your mother, your father," seems to have been said when the father was speaking to the child, in the name of both parents, about proper behavior. See, for example, p. 60, note 25, and pp. 84–86 in the Silva Galeana translation of the Huehuehtlahtolli. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
in nānyōtl in tàyōtl = parenthood (central Mexico, 1570–80)
in achto totatzin In achto thonãtzin = our first father and our first mother (early seventeenth century, Central Mexico)
in jntlatol in oteutlatoque: injc tehoatl omjznantique mjtztatique in atl, in tepetl = they spoke divinely as the made thee mother, made thee father of the city (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Iece ic popovi, ic ixtlavi in naiotl, in taiotl: auh iece iuhcatzintli, iece ixqujchtzin = However, thereby the motherhood, the fatherhood is satisfied, is complied with (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
inan, yta, in atl, in tepetl in jtepapaccauh, in jteahalticauh: auh in jteixaiopapachocauh = the mother, the father of the city, who are its washers, its bathers of people, and its suppressors of tears (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
auh ca nelli in ie nelli in ie iehoatl vel monantzin, vel motatzin: amo monan in monan, amo mota, in mota = And it is assuredly true that he is thy real mother, thy real father. Thy mother is not thy mother; thy father is not thy father (central Mexico, sixteenth century)