day; the sun; heat, solar heat; summertime; day sign on which one was born, and by extension, someone's lot, fate, portion, or share; patrimony
also a person's "vital power" (see Klor de Alva); or a person's "a solar-derived animating force" (see Caplan)
"The tonalli was a sort of soul, located in the crown of the head, that regulated body temperature and growth and played a major role in determining a person's character and fate. Tonalli loss resulted in illness and, if healing ceremonies were not performed, death."
tonalli = "a solar-derived animating force"
"Xiuhtecuhtli conflates notions of turquoise as fire-heat (tonalli) and time...."
"The term tonalli is as polysemantic today as it was during the colonial period." It also has the following meanings: "summertime, solar heat, day, day sign, personal destiny determined by the day of birth, feast, soul or spirit and something that is destined or is the property of a specific person." In the autonomous era, "the tonalli was said to derive from the highest celestial plane, the Omeyocan or 'place of duality,' and to be infused in the child at birth during a name-giving ceremony." It was also "the key link between the individual and the gods." Its "center is located in the head" and "is characterized as responsible for each person's vital power, physical growth, temperament, and cognition or rationality."
Yoan vmpa qujmoncaoaia pipiltzitzinti, in moteneoaia tlacateteuhti: iehoãtin in vntecuezcomeque, in qualli intonal: noujan temoloia, patiiotiloia = And there they took children, known as "human banners"--those who had two cowlicks of hair and whose day signs were favorable. They were sought everywhere, and brought. (sixteenth century, central Mexico)
When possessed, as in "itonal" or "ytonal," this could mean the "rightful due" of the rulers, according to a long section in the Primeros Memoriales that discusses all the things that rulers had coming to them by right of rulership, and "yntonal" or "ytonal" is used extensively. The list comes to appear to be a list of the kinds of things they could expect as tributes. (sixteenth century, central Mexico)
tlatolloya iquac in muchivaya tequantonalli cemilhuitonalli = there was accusation, because of these things, when there was a beastly day sign (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
ytonalloamaneapã = his stole with the sun symbol [on it]
ytonalocac = his sandals with the sun symbol [on them]
Oc nocetonal, oc mocetonal. Iquac mitoa: intla tequani onechquazquia, anozo tequani coatl ipan onicholo, zan achi in onechoalquazquia, oninotlalotiuetz = One more day for me, one more day for you. This is said when a wild beast was about to devour me, or a poisonous snake was going to bite me and I leaped over him and fled.
Auh in iehoantin tonalpouhque: achto vel ic tlatlanja, in quenman vel otlacat piltontli: in cujx aiamo vel iooalnepantla: ic itech qujpoaia in tonalli, î cemjlvitlapoali, in oqujz. Auh intla oqujz iooalnepantla, tlacatia: itech qujpoaia in tonalli, î cemjlvitlapoalli, in oallatoqujlia: auh intla vel iooalli ixelivian tlacatia: necoc qujpoaia in tonalli. Auh njman qujttaia in jmamux: vncan qujttaia, in quenamj imaceoal piltontli: in cujx qualli, in cujx noҫo amo: in juh catca itoloca î cemjlvitlapoalli: in jpan otlacat = But these soothsayers first inquired carefully exactly when the baby was born. If it was perhaps not yet exactly midnight, then they assigned the day to the day sign which had passed. But if he had been born when midnight had passed, they assigned the day to the day sign which followed. And if he had been born exactly at the division of the night, they assigned the day to both [day signs]. And then they looked at their books; there they saw the sort of merit of the baby, perhaps good, or perhaps not, according as was the mandate of the day sign on which he was born (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Axcan ipan miercoles çempuali macuiltonal metztli enero = Today, on Wednesday, 25th day of the month of January
Cē- Ātl Ītōnal = His-tonal is One Water [i.e., the tree] (Atenango, between Mexico City and Acapulco, 1629)
ipampa ca çan ixquich in tezcatl in tlatapani, teteyni, xexelihui, nononquaquiça, auh in tonalli, ca amo quen mochihua = for it is just all of the mirror that is broken, shattered, divided up and separated, but the sun is undisturbed
Iho xolopitine in axcan ye o àmopan tonac ye o [a]mopan tlathuic auh oc noma anquinequi in tlayohuayan mixticomac a[n]nemizque amicampa àmotepotzco = Ah, O foolish ones, the sun [of the true faith] has come upon you, [the true faith] has dawned on you, and you still want to live in the darkness of sin and the gloom [of ignorance]!
auh in iquac in ie moztla oneoazque in ipan qualli tonalli. Niman ie ic mâmouia moxima in nican mexico = And when it was the day before they would set out on a good day sign, thereupon they once and for all washed their heads with soap and cut their hair here in Mexico. (16th century, Mexico City)
ompoaltonal = forty days
ipampa ca çan ixquich in tezcatl in tlatapani, teteyni, xexelihui, nononquaquiça, auh in tonalli, ca amo quen mochihua = porque solo el Espejo es el que se quiebra diuide, y haze partes, pero el Sol, no se diuide, ni muda
[quez]quitonaltipan = en cuantos días (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
Iho xolopitine in axcan ye o àmopan tonac ye o [a]mopan tlathuic auh oc noma anquinequi in tlayohuayan mixticomac a[n]nemizque amicampa àmotepotzco = O ciegos, y perdidos, que hauiendoos amanecido el claro, y resplandeciente Sol de nuestra Santa Fè: querays andar, y proseguir en perpetuas tinieblas!
1691 años ocualoc tonali... yn otlayohua nesque sisitlantin tzatzique caxtilme yhuan totome auh yn ochipahuac tonali huel ypa chi[cu]naui hora = 1691, se eclipsó el sol... se obscureció, aparecieron las estrellas, gritaron los gallos y los pájaros. El sol se limpió a las nueve horas. (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
ma tto dios amitamotlacopielis amitzmotlacochicauilis mochipa tonalis yoali = Que nuestro Señpr Dios os guarde siempre en su amor y os fortalezca todo el día y toda la noche (seventeenth-century Guatemala)
oqualuc tonali amo tel otlayohuac = eclipsó el sol, aunque en verdad no obscureció (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
to:nal = tonalli
Ne tane:stoc ca tu:nal tamiste:ntoc ne corra:l. = El di:a de sol cubre el corral. Yec to:nal Juana. = Buenos di:as Juana. (Sonsonate, El Salvador, Nahuat or Pipil, s. XX)
Ma za xoconmiti. Timotoliniz. Ma zan nel nozo mixcuac xocontlali. Motonal motoliniz. Ma zan achi xoconmopaloti. = Por favor sólo bebe (un poco de pulque.) Tendrás necesidad. O en verdad sólo ponlo sobre la frente. Tu tonalli estará necesitado. Por favor prueba un poco.
yc tonanli y calaquia Molhuia poniente yn omotaMachiuh ynic patlahuac ynic tonanlia yquizaya Molhuia oriente yhuan yc poniemte zenpohuali yhuan macuili uara Auh ynic norte yhuan ynic sur yepohuali yhuan chiquey vara = de ancho, por donde sale el sol, llamado oriente. Por poniente, y de largo, por donde sale el sol, llamado oriente. Por poniente mide 30 varas. (Tetzcoco, 1759)
Ce tonaltica ocalactehuac cente tlacatl cuacuahue = Cierto día entró (a la casa) un hombre toro (s. XX, Milpa Alta)