tecpillalli.

Headword: 
tecpillalli.
Principal English Translation: 

lordly noble's land
James Lockhart, The Nahuas after the Conquest: A Social and Cultural History of the Indians of Central Mexico, Sixteenth through Eighteenth Centuries (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1992), 156.

Orthographic Variants: 
tecpilalli
Attestations from sources in English: 

"Tehuatin in titecuhtlatoqz ioan talgaldesme in ticpia . inn altepetl . in coiovacan ca toconneltillia . in ixquich in itecpilal in seno—r Don juan . in gunvernador in coyovacan . ca in iquac . in tlamiz . ca quinmacatiaz . in ipilvā . in itecpillal — Inic cecni in itecpillal in seno—r don juā ytocaiocā acopilco . Inic oncā . in itecpilal in seno—r don juā . ytocaiocā . avapoltitla . Iniquexcan . in itecpilal ytocaiocā . chimaliztacan Inic nauhcan in itecpilal ytocaiocā . xoxocotlan Inic macuilcā in itecpilal ytocaiocan . atlauhcamilpā Inic chiquacecan in itecpilal ytocaiocā . copilco . Inic chicocā . in itecpilal . ytocaiocā . çimatlā Inic chiquexcan in itecpilal ytocaiocan çitlalcovac Inic chicuhnauhcā . in itecpilal ytocaiocā . atepocaapā Inic matlaccā . in itecpilal . ytocaiocā tecocozco . Inic matlaccā . honce . in itecpilal . ytocaiocā , tlachquac Inic matlacā . homome . in itecpilal ytocaiocā . ocotepec . Inic matlaccā . homey . in itecpilal . ytocaiocā tepetl iitic Inic matlaccā honnavi . in itecpillal . ytocaiocā . totollac Inic castolcā . in itecpilal ytocaiocan . amantla Inic castolcā . once . in itecpilal . ytocaiocā . quauhcuezcontitla Inic castolcā homome . in itecpilal . ytocaiocā . atlvellicā . Inic castolcā . onmei . ytocaiocan xochac Inic castolcā . honnahui . ytocaiocā . çacamolpā . Inic cenpovalcā . ytocaiocā . xiuhtlā . Inic cenpovalcā . hōce . ytocaiocā . hocotitlā . Inic cēpovalcā . homome . ytocaiocā . tecovac Inic cēpovalcā . homey. ytocaiocā . axochco. = We the lord-rulers and alcaldes who have charge of the altepetl of Coyoacan verify all the lordly nobleman’s land of señor don Juan, governor of Coyoacan; when he expires, he will give his lordly nobleman’s land to his children. 1st, señor don Juan’s lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Acopilco. 2nd, señor don Juan’s lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Ahuapoltitlan. 3rd, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Chimaliztacan. 4th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Xoxocotlan. 5th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Atlaucamilpan. 6th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Copilco. 7th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Cimatlan. 8th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Citlalcoac. 9th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Atepocaapan. 10th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Tecocozco. 11th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Tlachquac. 12th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Ocotepec. 13th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Tepetlitic. 14th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Totolac. 15th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Amantlan. 16th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Quauhcuezcontitlan. 17th, his lordly nobleman’s land at the place called Atlhuelican. 18th, [land] at the place called Xochac. 19th, [land] at the place called Çacamolpan. 20th, [land] at the place called Xiuhtlan. 21st, [land] at the place called Ocotitlan. 22nd, [land] at the place called Tecoac. 23rd, [land] at the place called Axochco.
James Lockhart, "Coyoacan, mid-16th c.: Perquisites of don Juan de Guzmán," Folio G (Page 7), Early Nahuatl Library, https://enl.wired-humanities.org/bc26/elements/bc26g/000, and Beyond the Codices.

toconneltillia in ixquich in itecpilal in señor don juan in gunvernador in coyovacan ca in iquac in tlamiz ca quinmacatiaz in ipilvan in itecpillal = verify all the nobleman's land of señor don Juan, governor of Coyoacan; when he expires, he will give his nobleman's land to his children (Coyoacan, mid-sixteenth cent.)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 26, 162–163. For his analysis of this term, the editors point also to Ixtlilxochitl, Historia Chichimeca, II, 170.

An example from c. 1560–70 Coyoacan municipal documentation provides evidence of how different categories of land could overlap. The municipal governor (a tecuhtli) enjoyed huehuetlalli, tlalcohualli, callalli, and tecpillalli. The latter combines tecuhtli (lord) with pilli (a lesser noble). In the lengthy document, the tecuhtli also explains how he gave land away to his field workers. (Coyoacan, mid-sixteenth century)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 26, 150–165.

Lockhart recommended not making a major distinction between pillalli and tecpillalli.
The Nahuas after the Conquest, 1992, 519; and see Charles Gibson, The Aztecs under Spanish Rule, 1964, 540 note 35, who quotes Ixtlilxochitl and discusses how Torquemada saw this type of landholding.

In addition to the tecpan, or royal palace, don Juan held 23 separate pieces of 'lordly noble's land,' called tecpillalli (tecpan, 'royal house' ; pilli, 'noble' ; and tlalli , 'land')."
Rebecca Horn, Postconquest Coyoacan, 1997, 121.

Auh y nel chiyauhtla totlaua y amiccauhtzitzinhua cuix atle ic ixco cuix atle ic icpac nemi yn amatzin yn amotepetzin yn quinecuiticate yn quinenchiuhticate amocococatzin chiyauhtla onoc tlatocatlalli yhua in tecpillalli
Codex Chimalpahin, 1997, 236.

Attestations from sources in Spanish: 

"Pillalli y tecpillalli eran las tierras de los nobles , que se hicieron de ellas cuando los mexicas y sus aliados lograron la independencia de Azcapotzalco , y se repartieron luego las tierras antes dominadas por este reino."
Gloria M. Delgado de Cantú, Historia de México, v .1, 184

"Ahora bien, no se nos habla solamente de tecpantlalli, sino también de tecpillalli, que 'casi eran como las que se decían pillali'".
Arturo Monzón Estrada, El calpulli en la organización social de los tenochca, 1983, 64.

"Tecpillalli ('Tierra del noble gobernante'). Tierras estatales que servían para recompensar a los distinguidos con el tributo que los mayeque que las cultivaban debieran pagar al Estado."
Jesús Monjarás-Ruiz y ‎Emma Pérez-Rocha, Mesoamérica y el centro de México: una antología, 1985, 230.