A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Sahagún's book V, chapter XII, describes a rolling body without feet or head, accompanied by sickly groaning. The appearance can portend imminent illness, death in war, or other disaster. Frightened witnesses flee, while experienced warriors deliberately seek such alarming encounters. The daring pursuer grips the apparition and insists that it speak rather than escaping from the sight.
The struggle continues toward morning. Eventually the apparition offers a thorn, but the captor rejects an inadequate gift and demands more. The maguey thorns signify the strength and good fortune sought in the encounter; once the desired promise is obtained, the warrior releases it. This bargaining episode gives the rolling figure an active narrative role beyond its frightening body. The account identifies these appearances with Tezcatlipoca, while later lexical evidence also preserves the name's figurative uses.
Origins & earliest records
The narrative belongs to Sahagún's sixteenth-century body of Nahua material, book V, chapter XII. The inspected Spanish witness is the 1829 edition, volume II, printed pp. 15–16. UNAM's lexical record also points to Florentine Codex book V. Neither publication chronology nor a dictionary heading identifies an oral first telling.
Records & interpretation
The complete rolling-apparition and bargaining passage was read from the John Carter Brown Library scan's OCR. Wimmer's entry, hosted in UNAM's dictionary, corroborates the footless, headless, groaning form and distinguishes other uses of the word. Bustamante's hostile footnotes belong to the editor's nineteenth-century commentary and are excluded from the narrative description.
In the literature
“que no tienen pies ni cabeza”
Book V, chapter XII, printed pp.14–16; p.15, bodily description
The named chapter describes a footless, headless apparition rolling and groaning like a sick person. Witnesses regard it as an illusion of Tezcatlipoca and fear war death or impending disaster; the account distinguishes frightened flight from experienced warriors deliberately seeking an encounter.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España, volume II
Book V, chapter XII, printed pp. 15–16; narrative and editor's footnotes distinguished.
- 02
Gran Diccionario Náhuatl: tlacanexquimilli, Wimmer entry
Source dictionary year; the UNAM online compilation also points to Sahagún's book V.
- 03
Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España, tomo II
Bernardino de Sahagún and Nahua collaborators, Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España, tomo II, edited with notes and supplements by Carlos María de Bustamante; México: Imprenta del ciudadano Alejandro Valdés,1829. Spanish historical text; inspected John Carter Brown Library scan and OCR. Earlier sixteenth-century composition is context, not this edition’s publication date.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
Primary source witness
Bernardino de Sahagún and Nahua collaborators, Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España, tomo II, edited with notes and supplements by Carlos María de Bustamante; México: Imprenta del ciudadano Alejandro Valdés,1829. Spanish historical text; inspected John Carter Brown Library scan and OCR. Earlier sixteenth-century composition is context, not this edition’s publication date.
- The named chapter describes a footless, headless apparition rolling and groaning like a sick person. Witnesses regard it as an illusion of Tezcatlipoca and fear war death or impending disaster; the account distinguishes frightened flight from experienced warriors deliberately seeking an encounter.
Book V, chapter XII, printed pp.14–16; Rolling appearance and feared consequences, pp.14–15
- A daring warrior grips the apparition and repeatedly demands speech. Near morning it offers relief and a maguey thorn; the warrior refuses an inadequate number, continuing until the desired thorns and promise of prosperity are obtained, then releases it. Bustamante’s derisive footnotes are separate editorial comments.
Book V, chapter XII, printed pp.14–16; Wrestling and release after bargaining, pp.15–16
Complete chapterIII and chaptersXI–XIII read in OCR. Quote-bearing printed pages6,15,16 and chapterIII conclusion7 visually checked using actual scan images; OCR errors and editor’s hostile judgments are not adopted. No ritual formulas or prayers reproduced; narrative beliefs are not presented as verified causation.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary textJohn Carter Brown Library scan: Sahagún, volume II, 1829, pp. 15–16Research access: 2026-10-05
- ReferenceGran Diccionario Náhuatl: tlacanexquimilliResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.