something that was measured in increments of ten feet (see Molina)
Alonso de Molina:
matlac xocpallatamachiuhtli. cosa que se midio con diez pies. Alonso de Molina, Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana, 1571, part 2, Nahuatl to Spanish, f. 53r. col. 2. Thanks to Joe Campbell for providing the transcription.