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Females held nothing whatever, beyond their wearing apparel and some few ornaments for personal use. II, cap. XIII, cap. V, cap. II, cap. VI, cap. The 'tlalmilli' itself, at the demise of a father, went to his oldest son, with the obligation to improve it for the benefit of the entire family until the other children had been disposed of by marriage.
We shall have occasion to investigate the point in our paper on "The ancient Mexican priesthood." No mention is made of the widow participating in the products of the 'tlalmilli, still it is presumable that she was one of those whom the oldest son had to support. There are indications that the widow could remarry, in which case her husband, of course, provided for her.
Of lands, the chiefs only held each their 'tlalmilli' in the usual way, as members of their kin, whereas the other 'official' lots went to the new incumbents of the offices. It should always be borne in mind that none of these offices were hereditary themselves. Still, a certain 'right of succession' is generally admitted as having existed. IX, cap. IV, p. 177; Lib.
They were so far distinguished from the 'tecpantlalli' and 'tlatocatlalli' in their mode of tenure as, whereas the latter two were dependent from a certain office, the incumbent of which changed at each election, the 'tlalmilli' was assigned to a certain family, and its possession, therefore, connected with customs of inheritance.
It was one of his duties to keep a reckoning of the soil of the calpulli, or 'calpulalli, together with a record of its members, and of the areas assigned to each family, and to note also whatever changes occurred in their distribution. The 'calpulalli' was divided into lots or arable beds, 'tlalmilli'.
Neither the "teepan-tlalli" nor the "tlatoca-tlalli," still less the "calpulalli," show any trace of individual ownership. It is also called "tlalli," but that is the general name for soil or ground. "Tierras o eredades de particulares, juntas an alguna vega," is called "tlalmilli". This decomposes into "tlalli" soil and "milli."
But the other males could apply to the chief of the calpulli for a 'tlalmilli' of their own; the females went with their husbands. Single blessedness, among the Mexicans, appears to have occurred only in case of religious vows, and in which case they fell back for subsistence upon the part allotted to worship, or in case of great infirmities, for which the calpulli provided. III, Lib. IV, cap.
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