Amongst the ancient customs of the Indians none, however, are more strange than those connected with an almost unintelligible form of baptism. The Franciscan missionaries who endeavoured to convert the Indians at the time of the conquest, observed with astonishment the veneration of the natives for the Catholic rites of baptism and the readiness of their converts to accept this part of their teaching. In the course of their inquiries upon the subject they discovered that a form of baptism already existed, and was considered to be one of the most important and essential of their ceremonies.[94] Upon an examination of the accounts of the manner in which the Indians performed their customary rites, it does not appear that there was much analogy with the ceremony that was insisted upon as a duty by the friars, except that the Indian baptism was a religious act performed by their priests, in which the children were touched with something that had been dipped in water. The Indians, although disinclined to adopt the new faith, showed extraordinary ardour and devotion in this particular observance. It was found that they would frequently bring their children to be baptised again after they had already received baptism. Finally the conduct of the Indians in this matter became so unsatisfactory that special clauses upon the subject, were introduced into the laws established by the order of the Emperor Charles V. for the government of the Indians in Yucatan. One of these clauses ran thus— “Baptism is one of the sacraments which is not to be repeated, and if this is done great offence is committed against the Holy Ghost conferred upon us by baptism when it is repeated. “Many of the natives of this province say that although already baptised, they repeat baptism deceiving the ministers of the gospel, and furthermore they say that they baptise others and consent that others should do so. For which reason I order that henceforth no Indian man or woman of this province who has once received legitimately holy baptism shall return to be baptised or consent to others doing it, or baptise on their own authority any other person.” Since these orders were put in force many changes have taken place, and the Indians have become, in a manner reconciled to the new order of things. It is, however, stated that in remote parishes the priests are still frequently deceived, and that children are sometimes brought three or four times to be given baptism.