OCR Text |
Show ) Srr cT.XXII. A ull cri ti ~:s :1ml faOi11g of the Mcxi. H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. her of them being never lefs than eight thoufand. When thefe fncrifices were over, the priefl:s carried fix prifoners to the tops of the trees, and aftet· tying them there, dcfcended; but they had hardly time to reach the ground, before the unhappy viCtims were pierced with a multitude of arrows. The prieil:s mounted again to cnt down the dead bodies, and let them drop from the height; immedi<ltcly their breafts were opened, and their hearts torn out, according to the cuftom of thofe people. The vitl:ims as well as the quails were !harcd among the pricfts and nobles of that city, for the banquets which crowned their barbarous and deteil:able feil:ival. While they were thus cruel to others, it iii not wonderful that they likewife praCl:ifed inhumanity towards themfelves. Being accu!l:omed to bloody facrifices of their prifoners, they alfo failed not to !hed abun .• dance of their own blood, conceiving the il:reams which flowed fi·om their viCl:ims infufficient to quench the diabolical thiril: of their gods. It mnl es one .lhudder to read the auil:erities which they cxercifed upon themfelves, either in atonement of their tranfgreffions, or in preparation for their fell:ivals. They mangled their fle!h as · if it had been infeniible, and let their blood run in fuch profufion, that it appeared to be a fuperfluous fluid of the body. The effufion of blood was frequent and daily with fomc of the priefts, to which practice they gave the name of 'T!amacazqui. They pierced themfelv s with the !harpeft fpines of the aloe, and bored feveral parts of their bodies, particularly their ears, lips, tongue, and the fat of thei1· arms and legs. Through the holes which they made with thefe fpines, they introduced pieces of d ne, the fir!l: of which were fmall pieces, b1;1t every time this penitential fuffering was repeated, a thicker piece was ufed. The blood which flowed from them was carefully colletl:ed in leaves of the plant acxojatl (r). They fixed the bloody fpines in little balls of h;y, which they expoft:d upon the b,tttlements of the walls of 1 the temple, to tefl:ify the penance which they did for the people. Thofe who cxercifed fuch fevcrities upon themfelves within the inclofure of the greater temple of Mexico, (r) , Acxo.):tti is a tree of fcvcml upright flcm s, with long leaves, which arc n rong and fy111· memcally d1rpufcd. They made forme1ly anci fiill make excellent brooms of this plant. bathed H I S T 0 R Y 0 P M E X I C 0. Bathed them(elves in a pond that was formed there, which from be .• ing always tinged with blood was called Ez(/pan . There was a certain fixed number of canes to be made ufc of on this occafion, which, after being once ufcJ were preferved ;s attcfl:ations of their penitence. Befide~ thofe and .other auil:ere pratl:ices of which we ll1all treat !hartly, watclung and hlil:mg W:lS very frequent nmongll: the Mexicans. A feftival hardly oc urred for which they did not prepare themfclves with fafl:ing for fame days, more or l ef~:> , according to the prcfcriptions of their ritual. From all that is to b\,; inferred from their hiftory, their f.1fting confi{ted in abll:aining from fle01 anrl wine, and in eating but once a d•1y; this fame did at mid-day, others after that time, ami fome tafted nothing till evening. Po.i!l:ing was gcner:-tlly accompanied with watching and the cffuiion of blood, and then no perfon wa permitted to have commerce with any woman, not even with his own wife. Some fail:s were general and obferved by the whole people; namely, the fail: of five days before the fe!l:ival of Mixcoatl, which was obferved even by children; the. f.1ft of four days before the fell:ival of Tezcatlipoca, and alfo, as we fufpetl:, that which was made previous to the feftiva] of the fun (s). Dl'jring this fafr the king retired into a certain place of the temple, where he watched and ll1cd blood, according to the cu11:om of his nation. Any other fafl:s bound only particular individuals;, fuch as that which was obferved by the proprietors of viCl:ims the day before a f<lcrifice. The proprietors of prifoners which were Llcrificed to the god Xipe, fall:cd twen ty days. The nobles as well as the king had a hou[e within the precinCts of tJ1e temple, containing numerous . ~hambers, where they occafionally retired to do penance. On one of the feftivals, all thofe perfons who exercifed public offices, after their daily duty was over, retired there at evening for this purpofe. In the. third month the TbmacaztJui, or penance-doers watched every night;, and in the fourth month th t:y were aucnded in their duty by the nobility .. In Mixteca, where there were many monail:eries, the firft-born fans of lords, before they took poffeffion of their cil:ates, were fubjetl:ed to a (s) The fall which was hc!J in honour of 1hc fun was called Nctolur/iulxr.abualo, or Ncto11a• . 1i~b<tab11alitz.fi. Dr. Hcrnand~:7. fays, it was held every two hundred, or three hundred days. , We fufp,eCl: th:lt it was kept on tile day: I Oli11, whidt occurred every two hundred and fixty days. rigorous , BOOK VI. ~ |