The travels of Pedro de Cieza de Léon; part 2Cieza de León, Pedro de
History
The travels of Pedro de Cieza de Léon; part 2
Cieza de León, Pedro de
Incas; Peru -- History -- To 1548
The third oracle or _huaca_ of the Incas was the temple of Vilcañota,
renowned throughout these kingdoms. Here the devil, our Lord God
permitting it, had great power, and spoke by the mouths of the false
priests who were there to serve the idol. This temple of Vilcañota was a
little more than twenty leagues from Cuzco, near the village of
Chungara. It was very much esteemed and venerated, and many offerings
and gifts were presented to it, as well by the Inca and lord, as by the
rich men of the districts whence people came to sacrifice. The temple
had its priests, virgins, and cultivated lands, and almost every year
the offering of _capacocha_ was made, which is what I will now explain.
They gave great credit to what the devil said in his replies, and on
certain occasions they offered up sacrifices of birds, sheep, and other
animals.
The fourth temple that was venerated and frequented by the Incas and the
natives of the provinces was the _huaca_ of Ancocagua, where there was
also a very ancient oracle which was famous. It was in the province of
Hatun Cana, and on certain occasions people came from many parts, with
great veneration, to hear the vain replies of the demon. Here there was
great store of treasure offered up by the Incas and other worshippers.
They say also that, besides the numerous animals sacrificed to this
demon, whom the people believed to be God, they also sacrificed some men
and women, in the same way as I have described in recounting the
offerings made on the hill of Guanacauri.
That the treasure alleged to have been in this temple was really there,
seems clear from the following circumstance. After the Spaniards had
occupied Cuzco for more than three years, and the priests and chief
lords had produced the great treasures which all these temples
contained, I heard that a Spaniard named Diego Rodriguez Elemosin took
from this _huaca_ more than 30,000 _pesos_ of gold. Besides this, still
more has been found; and there is a rumour that an immense quantity of
gold and silver is in places which no one but God knows, and they will
never be discovered, except by accident or good luck.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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