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Show • H I 5 T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. mittcd, to prevent the difguft which the defcription of fuch abominable aCts of cruelty mull: caufe to our readers; for although there has hardly becrt a nation which has not pratl:ifed fimilar facri.fices, it would be dif1icult to find one which has carried them to fo great an excefs as the Mexicans appear to have done. We are ignorant what fort of facrifices may 'have been prattifed by the ancient Toltecas. The Chechemecas continued long without ufing them, having at fidl: neither idols, temples, nor priefl:s, nor ofiering any thing to their gods, the Sun and Moon, but herbs, flowers, fruits, and copal. Thofe nations never thought of facrificing human viCtims, until the example of the Mexicans bani(hed the fidl: impreffions of nature from their minds. What they report touching the origin of fuch barbarous f.:1.crifices we have already explained; namely, that which appears in their hiil:ory concerning the fidl: facrifice of the four Xochimilc: m prifoners whi h they made when in Colhnacan. It is probable, that at the time when the Mexicans were infulated in the lake, and particularly while they remained fubjeCt to the dominion of the Tepc:necas, the facrifice of human viCtims muil: have happened very feldot~"', as they neither had prifoners, nor could purchafe flaves for facrifices. But when they haLl enlarged their dominions, and multiplied their viccorics, Lcrificcs became frequent and on fon:c fcil:ivals the victims were 1 umerous. The fac rificcs varied with refpeCl: to the number, place, and mode, according to the circumftances of the feil:ival. In general the viCtims fuffer d death by hav ing th ir breafl:s opened; but others were drowned in the lake, others died 'of hunger nlUt up in caverns of the mount; lins, and lafHy, fome fell in the gladiatori::m Ctcrifice. The cn O:omary place was the temple, in the upper area of which fl:ood the altar deil:ined for ordinary f.tcrifices. The altar of the greater temple of Mexico was a green il:one (probably jafper) convex above, and abont th ree ft:et high, and as many broad, and more than five feet long. The ufual minifiers of the facrifice were fix prieil:s, the chief of whom was the Topiltzin, whofe dignity w<1s pre-eminent and hereditary; but .at every facrifice he a!fumed the name of that god to whom it was made. For the performance of this funCtion, he was clothed in a red habit, fimi1ar in make to the fcapulary of the 1poderns, fringed with |
