NO. 1887. CENSERS AND INCENSE OF MIDDLE AMERICA— nOVGH. 135 



undoubtedly required the services of many persons from the sources 

 through commerce to the consumers, who were the famiUes (clans) 

 and the priesthood attendant on the teocallis. 



In the caves of southern Arizona there have never been found defi- 

 nite masses of resin or anything which might be called incense out^ 

 side of the herbs contained in sacred cigarettes. Nevertheless, there 

 are often attached to offerings resinous substances which liave an 

 odor resembling that of copal. 



CUSTOMS CONNECTED WITH THE USE OF INCENSE. 



Some of the numerous customs connected with the use of incense 

 are collated and introduced here. These have a bearing on the 

 beliefs under whose sway the incense cult came to be practiced and 

 which have an explanation far from simple, depending largely on the 

 plane of philosophy reached, and modified by local and individual 

 habits of thought and traditions. 



Sahagun tells us that there were persons whose office was to provide 

 copal, incense plant, censers, torches, and wood for the temple serv- 

 ice,^ and speaks of the Tlacolquacuilli, who were the guard of the 

 temple Mecatlan. "They were clothed in the manner we have de- 

 scribed for the priests — that is to say, a jacket unxicolli, and carried 

 a calabash full of tobacco, picietl" (p. 192), Further, "the chief 

 priest, Mexicatl teohuatzin, 'Mexican master of the gods,' was 

 elected by the two great priests and had charge of the hierarchy. 

 His costume was a jacket of cloth, a censer of the form of which they 

 made use, and a pouch filled with copal for incensing."^ And fur- 

 ther: "The chief priests and ministers of the temple were charged not 

 to allow the fire in the court go out and to wake up those who had the 

 mission of sounding the hours or those who should burn incense and 

 make offerings before theidols.^ 



During the ceremony of incensing the god Huitzilopochtli each 

 priest placed coals and chapopopotli * incense in his tlemaitl and 

 wafted the disagreeable odor toward the idol. The ashes were then 

 emptied from the censers into an immense brazier called the tlexictli, 

 or fire navel .° 



Aztec monarchs were annointed, and during this ceremon}' burned 

 incense to the god Huitzilopochtli. "A censer containing live coals 



• Work cited, pp. 190-193. 



' Sahagun, work cited, p. 189; Chavero, Mexico, p. 635, figures a priest burning copal, holding the tlemaitl 

 In thf- rifeht hand and a bag in the left. 



' Work cited, p. 1S7; sea shells, comets, and trumpets were used to sound time. Work cited, p. 189. 



« "Chapopotli is a bitumen which resembles the pitch of Castile when it is friable. It Ls washed up on the 

 beach, usually at high tide and Ls gathered by the river peoples. It is odorous and is much liked by women. 

 When thrown on the fire its odor spreads widely. It is mixed with the mass which they are in the habit 

 of putting in the odoriferant chalumeaux. They mix tzictli (chicle) with the copal, or incen.se of the coun- 

 try and with the odorous resin, and they obtain thus good perfume." (Sahagun, p. (30.) See also Torque- 

 mada Monarchia, vol. 11, p. 260. 



» Bancrult, Native Kacos, vol. 2, pp. 322-323. 



