The pleasant historie of the conquest of the VVeast India, now called new Spayne: atchieued by the vvorthy Prince Hernando Cortes, marques of the Valley of Huaxacac, most delectable to readeLópez de Gómara, Francisco
History
The pleasant historie of the conquest of the VVeast India, now called new Spayne: atchieued by the vvorthy Prince Hernando Cortes, marques of the Valley of Huaxacac, most delectable to reade
López de Gómara, Francisco
Cortés, Hernán, 1485-1547; Mexico -- History -- Conquest, 1519-1540; Nahuatl language -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.
There was another God, who hadde a greate Image placed vppon the toppe
of the Chappell of Idols, and hée was estéemed for a speciall and
singular God aboue all the rest. This God was made of all kinde of
séedes that groweth in that Countrey, and being ground, they made a
certayne past, tempered with childrens bloud, and Virgins sacrifised,
who were opened with their razures in the breastes, and their heartes
taken out, to offer as first fruites vnto the Idoll. The Priestes
and Ministers doe consecrate this Idoll with great pomp and many
Ceremonies. All the _Comarcans_ and Citizens are presente at the
consecration, with great triumph and incredible deuotion. After the
consecration, many devoute persons came and sticked in the dowy Image
precious stones, wedges of golde, and other Iewels. After all this pomp
ended, no secular man mought touche that holye Image, no nor yet come
into his Chappell, nay scarcely religious persons, except they were
_Tlamacaztli_, who are Priestes of order. They doe renue this Image
many times wyth new dough, taking away the olde, but then blessed is
hée that can get one péece of the olde ragges for relikes, and chiefly
for souldyers, who thought themselues sure therwith in the warres. Also
at the consecration of thys Idoll, a certayne vessell of water was
blessed with manye wordes and ceremonyes, and that water was preserued
very religiously at the foote of the altar, for to consecrate the King
when he should be crowned, and also to blesse any Captayne generall,
when he shoulde be elected for the warres, with only giuing him a
draught of that water.
The Charnell house or place of dead
_mens sculles for remembrance of death_.
VVithout the temple, and ouer againste the principall dore thereof, a
stones cast distant, standeth the Charnell house onely of dead mens
heads prisoners in warres and sacrifised with the knife.
This monument was made like vnto a Theatre, more larger than broade,
wrought of lyme and stone, with ascending steppes, in the walles
whereof was graffed betwixt stone and stone a skul with the téeth
outwards.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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