a person who keeps or guards the divine, the sacred force; a priest; a friar; a religious, member of a religious order (see Karttunen and Molina)
“In post contact times the Nahuatl word teopixqui, having originally referred to priests of the Indigenous divine forces, was expanded by normal processes to mean Christian priests. But since mendicant friars were so predominant in the first decades after the conquest, the word normally meant friar or at least referred to a "religious," a member of a religious order (such as a Jesuit), with the Spanish loanword clérigo being used for secular clerics. Nevertheless, in principle the word could refer to any Christian priest. Our usual translation is friar or religious, but occasionally, depending on the context, priest. At times it is not entirely clear whether Chimalpahin means religious, all clergy, or secular priests.”
ma oc nicnonochilitihuetzi in teopixqui = let me first hurry to summon the friar (Mexico City, 1649)
teopixqui. Sant. Jeronimo = a Hieronymite friar (central Mexico, 1608)
omoteneuh Gouor macayamo cuel ynca mocacayahua macayemo quintollini macehualti canel yancuique in tlaneltoquiliztica ma oc ceppa mocuepti ma motlapololtihti manoҫe yaoyotl ynpan quichiuhti yn teopixque yhuan yn españoles. yehuatl in ynic quitlacahualtiaya Gouernador. ҫan icuallan quittac ynic cenca oquincocolli teopixque = the said governor had forbidden the friars to cheat the commoners or mistreat them because they are new in the faith and lest they return to confused beliefs or make war on the friars and the Spaniards. That was why the governor held the friars back; they saw nothing but anger from him, he hated them so much (central Mexico, 1613)
"Los Doce" ("The Twelve") were a famous group of Franciscan friars who arrived in Mexico in 1524, but some annals remembered them as coming in earlier years: "1505 1515 acatli xihuitl nicann ipan hualmohuicaque yn teopixque matlactli homomentin quihualhuicaque yn teoyotzin yn tto Dios nican motocayotia = fray martin maldonado De balencia CosDoDio guarDian = fray franco xinmenes 1 = fray toripio motolinia 3 = fray [pitebas] 4 = fray franco De soto 5 = fray luys fuē [sareto] 6 = fray anttonio De ciudad lodrigo 7; fray garcia De sisnero 8 = fray martin De la [corinan] 9 = fray juarea 10 = fray juā de balon quatesotzin 11 = fray Andres de gorDova quatesontzin 12 = Ca yehuātin quihualmohuiquilique y tlaneltoquqilistli = sancto Euagelio (f. 8)" = "1505 1519 Reed year. Here in this year the twelve friars came. They brough the divine things (sacraments) of our Lord God. Here they are named: fray Martín Maldonado de Valencia, Custodian and Guardián; fray Francisco Jiménez, the second; fray Toribio Motolinia, the third; fray (Juan de Rivas), the fourth; fray Francisco de Soto, the fifth; fray Luis de Fuensalida, the sixth: fray Antonio de Ciudad Rodrigo, the seventh, Fray García de Cisneros, the eighth; fry Martín de la Coruna, the ninth; fray (Juan) Juárez, the tenth; fray Juan de Palos, a lay brother, the eleventh; and fray Andrés de Cordova, a lay brother, the twelfth. They were the ones who brought the Faith, the Holy Gospel."
monja cihuateopixqui sancta clara = a nun, a priestess, in Santa Clara. (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
teupixqui sacerdote = priest
yn theopîx-ca yacanquí quimo tlatlavhti li li ticatca, iniy ztla ca theov = In teo:pixcayacanqui quimotlatlauhtiliatia catca, in iztlaca theo:uh = The leading priest was petitioning the villainous god.
Ca quimoctilis notiopixCatzin = my priest is to look after it. (Santiago Apóstol Quaxochtenco, Toluca Valley, 1761)
teOpixcatlatoani OBispo ytocatzin frai Juan de sumarraga san francisco teopixqui = the priestly ruler, the bishop, named fray Juan de Zumárraga, a Franciscan friar
notlaSoteopixCatzin padre guardia = my precious priest, the father guardian (San Pablo Tepemaxalco, Toluca Valley, 1736)
tohueiteupixcauh sancto patre yn ompa roma = our great priest, the holy father there in Rome, gives to us... (mid sixteenth century, Central Mexico)
An indigenous priest said mass in 1685 according to Zapata y Mendoza. His name was don Manuel de Salazar, and he was from Quiahuiztlan. (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
Teopixki kiohtlaski iwan chichtle (El sacerdote, el pedidor de agua y el brujo). "En vista de que había enfermedad en un pueblo estos tres sabios decidieron mostrar sus poderes sobrenaturales. El sacerdote y el pedidor lograron hacer que se secaran unos árboles y luego reverdecieran. El brujo también seca un árbol pero no logra volver a darle vida. La gente mata al brujo y cesa la enfermedad." (Escuchado en Hueyapan, Mor. Barrios, 1949, 56–57.)
Yece inic yuhqui mochihuaz, quiqualcuizque in inteopixcahuan (nozo P. Cura, nozo P. Vicario) ce amatontli. = Empero para así se hará la llevarán los sus curas o Padre Cura, o Padre Vicario un papelito (receta) (centro de México, s. XVIII)
ynic techtlatlani yn ihuicopa teopixque clerigostin cuix quimati yn totlatol ynic techmachtizque techyolcuitizque yhuan cuix huel techmocuitlahuiya yn nica cocoliztl miquiztl = para preguntarnos acerca de los sacerdotes clérigos: si acaso saben nuestro idioma para predicarnos, confesarnos y si acaso nos cuidan bien en la enfermedad y la muerte (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
amo quemanian aca cas tiltecatl tes tlalquiliquiu nose yn tliltique teopisque cahuey etetlalquilia cahuey omo xictique ic oqui mo yaochihuilique yn teopiscatlatoani yc omo uicac castila iquac opeuque tetlalquilia = no sea que alguna vez, algún español nos venga a quitar las tierras ó también los negros ó los religiosos que eran grandes quitando las tierras a la gente, eran grandes faltando al respeto, por esto le hicieron la guerra al Obispo, por esto él, se fué a España cuando empezaron á quitar, éllos, las tierras a la gente (Estado de Hidalgo, ca. 1722?)
xictique Sant Francisco teopixque oquicuilique missa yhua bisita Santopan = Menospreciaron a los sacerdotes de San Francisco, les quitaron la misa y las visitas a las ermitas (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
San Augustin deopixque = los frailes agustinos (Coyoacan, 1587)
ome pesos yquimomaquilizque teopisque = y se den de limosna dos pesos [a los sacerdotes]
yhua ynquac ohualmohuiCac teopisCatlatohua ni proficial yc otictotpalhuique Cihuatontolti nahui peSotica otiquin Couhque, 4 pos = Y cuando llegó el señor sacerdote provincial le ayudamos con una gallina y cuatro pesos. Lo pagamos. (San Andrés Chiautla, 1638)