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Show BOOK. VJ. ~ ~ ~· rr. x rx. The g i_:•J i ~! OIIau lacn· Ji ·c. IT I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. ' their gods, women to their goddetfes, ' and' children te1 fomc other di-minutive deities. ' , This was the moil: common mode of facrifice, but often attended with fomc circumftances of ftill greater cruelty, as we !hall fee hereafter ; other kinds of facrifices which they ufed were much lefs frequent. At the fcfl:ival of 1"'eteot7tan, the woman who reprefentcd this godde(s was oehcaded on the lhouldcrs of another woman. At the fi ftival of the ar rival of he gods, they put the vi ims to death by fire. At one of the fefF vals made in horiour of Tlaloc, they facrificed two children of both fc xes by drowning them in a certain place of the lake. At another fc iva] of the fame god, they pmchn.fed three little boys of fix or fc:vcn years of age, {but them up inhumanly in a cavern, and left them odie of feJ.r and hunger. The mofl: celebrated facrifice among the Mexicans was that called by the Spaniards with much propriety the g!adiatorian. This was a very honourable death, and only prifoners who were renowned for their bravery were permitted to die by it. Near to the greater temple of large cities, in an open fpace of ground fufficient to contain an immenfe croud of people, was a round terrace. eight feet high, upon which was placed a large round ftone, refembling a mill-il:one in figure, but greatly larger, and almofl: three feet high, well poliihed, with figures cut upon it (n). On this fl:one, which was called the Te}na!acat0 the prifoner was placed, armed with a lhield and a lhort [word, and tied by one foot. A Mexican officer or foldier, better accoutred in anns, mounted to• combat with him. Every one will be able to imagine the efforts made by the defperate viCtim to defend his life, and alfo thofe of the Mexi-· can to fave his honour and reputation, before the multitude of ople that alfembled at fuch a fpeCl:acle. If the prifoner remain ·vanLluifbcd, immediately a priefl: named Cha/chiuhtepehua, carried him dead· or alive to the altar of the common facrifices, opened his breaft, and took out his heart, while. the viCtor was applauded by the alfembly, and rewarded by the king with fome military honour. But if the prifoner (~! The form of the edi fices ~eprefentetl'in the phttc of the glad i atori~n facrifice is a mere ~apnce of the dcfigner; there never wns any thing elfe than the terrace and the bat tlements. I con- /Y./.1". |