Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/218

 206 On the defcent of the American Indians from the y

gradually above the other, from the outermoft circle ; and that the temple ilood in the center of the inclofed ground, built in a quadrangular form, having altars, &c. He has officioufly obtruded the fun into it; per haps, becaufe he thought it dark within. He defcribes another religious houfe, on the eaftern part of that great inclofure, facing the rifmg fun, to which they afcended by fix fteps, where, in the hollow of a thick wall, lay the image of the fun, &c. This thick wall having an hollow part with in it, was no other than their fanftum fanftorum, conformably to what I obferved, concerning the pretended holieft place of the Mufkohge In dians. Any one who is well acquainted with the language, rites, and cuftoms of the North- American Indians, can fee with a glance when thefe monkifh writers {tumble on a truth, or ramble at large.

Acofta fays, that the Mexicans obferved their chief feaft in the month of May, and that the nuns two days before mixed a fufficient quantity of beets with honey, and made an image of it. He trims up the idol very genteelly, and places it on an azure-coloured chair, every way becoming the fcarlet-coloured pope. He foon after introduces flutes, drums, cornets, and trumpets, to celebrate the feaft of Eupania Vitzliputzli, as he thinks proper to term it : on account of the nuns, he gives them Pania, " fe minine bread," inftead of the mafculine Pants ; which he makes his nuns to diftribute at this love-feaft, to the young men, in large pieces refem- bling great bones. When they receive them, they religioufly lay them down at the feaft of the idol, and call them the fiefli and bones of the God yitzliputzli.

Then he brings in the priefts vailed, with garlands on their heads, and chains of flowers about their necks, each of them ftrictly obferving their place : if the inquifitive reader mould defire to know how he difcovered thofe garlands and flowery chains-, (efpecially as their heads were covered, and they are fecret in their religious ceremonies) I muft inform him, that Acofta wrought a kind of cotton, or woollen cloth for them, much finer than filk, through which he might have eafily feen them befides, fuch a religious drefs gave him a better opportunity of hanging a crofs, and a tiring of beads afterwards round their necks.

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