to be in charge of ruling and governing (see Molina)
Alonso de Molina:
icpalpan petlapan nica. (pret. ycpalpan petlapan onicatca.) tener cargo de regir y gouernar. Alonso de Molina, Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana, 1571, part 2, Nahuatl to Spanish, f. 33v. col. 2. Thanks to Joe Campbell for providing the transcription.