the person who divines or casts lots, reads the meaning of the day sign upon which one was born; a soothsayer (see Molina and Sahagún)
in tlapouhqui ca tlamatini, amuxe tlacuilole = The soothsayer is a wise man, an owner of books [and] of writings. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Auh in iehoantin tonalpouhque: achto vel ic tlatlanja, in quenman vel otlacat piltontli: in cujx aiamo vel iooalnepantla: ic itech qujpoaia in tonalli, î cemjlvitlapoali, in oqujz. Auh intla oqujz iooalnepantla, tlacatia: itech qujpoaia in tonalli, î cemjlvitlapoalli, in oallatoqujlia: auh intla vel iooalli ixelivian tlacatia: necoc qujpoaia in tonalli. Auh njman qujttaia in jmamux: vncan qujttaia, in quenamj imaceoal piltontli: in cujx qualli, in cujx noҫo amo: in juh catca itoloca î cemjlvitlapoalli: in jpan otlacat = But these soothsayers first inquired carefully exactly when the baby was born. If it was perhaps not yet exactly midnight, then they assigned the day to the day sign which had passed. But if he had been born when midnight had passed, they assigned the day to the day sign which followed. And if he had been born exactly at the division of the night, they assigned the day to both [day signs]. And then they looked at their books; there they saw the sort of merit of the baby, perhaps good, or perhaps not, according as was the mandate of the day sign on which he was born (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Auh in tonalpouhquj, in ijlhvil, in jmaceoal, in jnemac: atli, tlaqua, qujtlauhtia: auh amo ҫan quexqujch in qujmaca, ҫan mantiuh in totolin, auh centlamamalli in tlaqualli = And the desert, the merit, the lot of the soothsayer was to drink, to eat; and not just a little did they give him; he went [with] turkeys and a load of food (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Plural: tonalpouhque, soothsayers, diviners, readers of the day signs of the calendar.
tonalpouhqui = el astrólogo; "debe manifestar el destiono del recién nacido y comunicar, en consecuencia, a los padres qué es lo que debe hacerse para que ocurra efectivamente lo venturosos, esto es para hacerse a un lado la desgracia"