Matrícula de Tributos

Introduction

The Matrícula de Tributos (‘Register of Tribute’) consists of 16 sheets (‘folios’) of paper made from the bark of the amate tree. Although some of the early folios are heavily damaged, whole sheets measure 29 × 42 centimeters. These pieces of amatl paper were originally painted on only one side, and probably date to before the conquest of Tenochtitlán. Sometime in the colonial period, however, these separate one-sided sheets were glued together. This created the document which exists today, in which each folio has images on the front and the back.

The Matrícula records the geographical extent of the Aztec tribute empire. The first pages show fortified frontier garrisons. The remaining pages’“the majority of the document’“focus on different tribute provinces. Their images depict the place signs of towns from which the Aztecs demanded tribute, and list the tribute items (feathers, warrior costumes, jaguar skins) that were supposedly sent every 80 days to Tenochtitlán.

In addition to the original pictorial glyphs, the Matrícula is also covered with later alphabetic captions. Some, added in the sixteenth century, are in Nahuatl (N). Others, added in the eighteenth century, are in Spanish (E). The Matrícula de Tributos is currently in the National Library of Anthropology in Mexico City. For more information, see the Introduction to the Matrícula de Tributos Nahua tutorial.

c. 1519

Aztec

29 cm x 42 cm sheets

buttom
  • [11v.1] [The Tribute Province of Tepeyacac:] Tepeyacac On the Beginning of the Hill
  • [11v.2] Quechulac On the Water of the Feather
  • [11v.3] Tecamachalco On the Stone Jaw
  • [11v.4] Acatzinco In the Small Reeds
  • [11v.5] Tecalco On the Noble’s House
  • [11v.6] Iczochinanco On the Yucca Field
  • [11v.7] Quauhtinchan House of Eagles
  • [11r.8] Chietlan Place of Chia
  • [11v.9] Quatlatlauhcan Place of Red Heads
  • [11v.10] Tepexic On the Crag
  • [22.11] Itzucan Place of Obsidian
  • [11v.12] Macuilxochitepec Hill of the god 5 Flower
  • [11v.13] Quauhquechulan Place of Feather-Tufted Eagles
  • [11v.14] Teonochtitlan Among the Sacred Prickly Pear Cactus Fruits
  • [11v.15] Teopantlan Place of Temples
  • [11v.16] Huehuetlan Place of Old Men
  • [11v.17] Tetenanco On a Stone Wall
  • [11v.18] Coatzinco On the Small Snake
  • [11v.19] Epatlan Place of Skunks
  • [11v.20] Nacochtlan Place of Earplugs
  • [11v.21] Chiltecpintlan Place of Small Red Peppers
  • [11v.22] Oztotlapechco On the Platform of the Cave
  • [11v.23] Atezcahuacan Place That Has a Pool of Water
  • [11v.24] 800 deerskins
  • [11v.25] shield and obsidian-bladed sword
  • [11v.26] slave from Huaxotzingo
  • [11v.27] slave from Cholula
  • [11v.28] slave from Tlaxcala
  • [11v.29] 1 bin of maize
  • [11v.30] 4000 loads of limestone
  • [11v.31] carrying rack
  • [11v.32] 8000 smoking pipes
  • [11v.33] 4000 reeds
  • [11v.34] 8000 reeds for making spears
  • [11v.N1] tepeyacac
  • [11v.N2] ontzontli mazayeuatl [800 deerskins]
  • [11v.N3] oyaotequitia quinhualcauaya in malhuan in quexquich quimanaya in tlaxcalteca in cholultecatl in huexotzincatl yn ica quitlayecoltiaya yn Moteuczoma [they gave war tribute. They turned over the prisoners they captured: from Tlaxcal, Cholula, and Huexotzingo; with this they served Moteuczoma]
  • [11v.N4] matlactzontli tenextli [4000 [loads] of limestone]
  • [11v.N5] matlactecpantli cacaxtli [200 carrying racks]
  • [11v.N6] cenxiquipilli acayetl [8000 pipes or cigars]
  • [11v.N7] matlactzontlamamalli otlatl [4000 loads of reeds]
  • [11v.N8] cenxiquipilli tlatzontecatl [8000 cut [reeds]]
  • [11v.E1] esto era el servicio que reconocian al Emperador Motezuma los Tlaxcaltecos, o de Tlascala, los de Cholula, y Huejozingo [This was the service by which they gave to the Emperor Motezuma Tlaxcaltecos, or people from Tlaxcala, people from Cholula, and Huejotzingo]
  • [11v.E2] 40000 Cargas de Cal [40000 loads of limestone]
  • [11v.E3] diez Cargas de Cacastlis para cargar [10 loads of carrying racks for carrying]
  • [11v.E4] mil canutos de canas [cañas] aromaticas [1000 bundles of aromatic reeds]
  • [11v.E5] diez cargas de otates [10 bundles of reeds]
  • [11v.E6] una talega de piedras pequeñas [a bag of small stones]