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The telpochcalli youths were prohibited from drinking octli (pulque) on pain of death by public beating or by hanging. These penalties applied to the attending sons of the nobility, but the punishments were carried out in private. The youths could not marry, but they were permitted mistresses.
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Many who entered the calmecac were trained to become priests, but the political and military leaders of the Aztecs were also trained there.23 Those trained in the calmecac were overwhelmingly noblethe sons of the tlahtohqueh and the sons of some of the pipiltin (apparently those less dependent on the calpolli, although some commoners also attended).24 Apparently the commoners who entered the calmecac did so to become priests, while the nobles could also become priests or, as many seemingly did, warriors.25 Attached to temples, the calmecac were dedicated to patron godsthe calmecac in Tenochtitlan was located in the main ceremonial complex26 and was dedicated to the god Quetzalcoatland there the noble youths were trained more privately and individually in the ways of war.27 When he vowed to raise his son in the calmecac, the king, noble, or lord prepared food and drink and summoned the priests and besought them: |
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Our lords, priests, welcome [lit., Here you came bringing yourselves. You have brought your feet]. We hope your coming here has not inconvenienced you [lit., Perhaps somewhere you have stumbled against sticks or straw; per- haps somewhere you have twisted a foot or hit it on something]. Indeed our Lord places you here. You pick up, you hearand it is truethat now we have a son [lit., The Lord, the Ever-present, has released from his hand a jewel, a quetzal-plume]. We dream, we wake up, and it is true now that what he is is a little child, a little son. But we do not know how to raise him [lit., Shall we not give him a spindle and a weaver's reed?]. Therefore, he is yours, your property. Now we dedicate him to the Lord, our Prince, Quetzalcoatl, the One-befeathered-in-black. He will enter the calmecac, the house of lamentation, the house of tears, the house of piety, where our nobles, the children, are reared and are trained. And there the Ever-present is prayed to [lit., is asked for things], there people serve our Lord [lit., people use hands upon our Lord's belly and throat]. There he is importuned for things with weeping, with tears, and with sighing. And there he continually rewards people, there he chooses people. Indeed there we dedicate him into his house, where conch-shells are blown and fires are lit, where our nobles, the children, are reared. There he will do the sweeping, the cleaning up, the setting of things off to one side for our Lord. We place him in your charge [lit., in your laps, upon your backs, on your carrying devices]. May you do us this honor [lit., May your hearts grant things]. We give a child to you. May you consent to this. May you take him. May he follow and mingle with those |
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