Palacio states that the rising sun was worshipped and that there were two idols, one representing a man named Quetzalcoatl and the other a woman named Itzqueye and that to these all the sacrifices were made. There were two special ceremonies which took place, one at the commencement of the winter and the other at the beginning of the summer, when two boys between the ages of six and twelve were sacrificed. Palacio then describes the sacrificial customs in war:— “The high priest, the learned wizard, and the four priests met together, and ascertained by their sortileges and witchcrafts whether they should have war or if any one was coming against them, and if the sortileges said yes, they called the Cacique and captains of war, and told them how the enemies were coming, and where they should go to make war. “The Cacique summoned all his warriors, and went out in search of the enemies, and if they gained the victory in the battle, the Cacique dispatched a messenger to the high priest, and informed him upon what day he had succeeded, and the sage examined unto whom the sacrifice should be made. If it was to Quetzalcoatl the ceremonies lasted fifteen days, and upon each day one of the Indians of those that had been captured in the battle was sacrificed; and if it was to Itzqueye the ceremonies lasted five days, and upon each day an Indian was sacrificed. “The sacrifice was performed in this manner. All those who had been in the war came in order singing and dancing, and they brought those that they had to sacrifice, with many feathers and _chalchivetes_[64] on their feet and hands, and with strings of cacao upon their neck, and the captains conducted them in their midst. The high priest and priests together with the people went out to receive them with dances and music, and the caciques and captains presented to the high priest these Indians for the sacrifices, and then they all went together to the court of their _teupa_, and they danced all the above said days and nights. “In the middle of the court they placed a stone like a bench, and upon this they placed the Indian that was to be sacrificed, and the four priests held the Indian by the hands and feet. The majordomo then came out with many feathers and covered with bells, with a stone razor in his hand, and opened the breast and pulled out the heart, and when he had taken it out he threw it upwards towards each of the four cardinal points, and the fifth time he threw it in the middle of the court directly upwards, thus declaring and giving to the god the reward for the victory. This sacrifice was made in public, so that every one both small and great could see it.”