370 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1897 



same writer, who says: "These offerings of incense were made also by 

 the women to the idols, which was not confined to an act of religion 

 to their gods, but also a piece of civil courtesy to lords and ambassa- 

 dors." ' 



Diaz says that upon a certain occasion in the island of Cozumel 

 (1519), the Spaniards having been attracted to a certain temple, ''the 

 Indians were found burning odoriferous resins like an incense,"^ and 

 later he states that the Mexicans sent their " ambassadors with vessels 

 of incense which they offered us and with which they fumigated Cor- 

 tez."^ This function is repeatedly referred to during the march, as 

 occurring with the Tlascalans, the Cholulans, and at the city of 

 Quivistlan, nor was it confined to offerings to Cortez, but to whoever 

 was the leader at the i)articular time. We encounter the same cere- 

 mony offered at Villa Rica to Escalante, who was there "fumigated." 

 The most casual consideration of this practice shows so great an anal- 

 ogy between these " incense burnings" and " fumigations" (especially 

 as tobacco is mentioned among the ingredients composing it), and the 

 calumet dances and offerings to leaders, not only of the French on the 

 Mississippi and the Great Lakes, but also to the English along the 

 Eastern seaboard, as to .amount to conviction that the offerings in many 

 cases was of the pipe.* 



Four days after the arrival of the army in the City of Mexico Cortez 

 and Montezuma visited the temple and witnessed the offering of 

 incense to the war gods,' and it is yet observable at Moki in the dances, 

 where they invariably offer smoke to their idols, the ceremonies of the 

 pipe being observed by all present with great solemnity and decorum. 

 The head chief is attended by an assistant of nearly like rank, who 

 ceremoniously lights the pipe, and with a certain form and set words 

 hands it to the chief, who blows the smoke of the pipe to the world 

 quarters and over the altar. 



At times offerings were made by "those who happened to be in dan- 

 ger from stumbling or slipping or on a journey." Incense offerings, 

 Clavigero says, "wen; made four times a day — at daybreak, midday, 

 sunset, and midnight. They used copal [Burnera] or some other aro- 

 matic gum, and on certain festivals employed chapopotli or bitumen 

 of Judea,'' which was also used by the women to clean their teeth with." 

 Similar practices are noted later on the Mississippi among the 

 Natchez, whose offerings were made to the sun, and the Indians of 

 Virginia, a century afterwards, were said to make offerings of tobacco 

 in setting out on a journey. 



The censers of the Mexicans were commonly made of clay, but they 



' Clavigero, History of Mexico, II, pp. 46, 58, Philaclelpliia,1817* 



2 Diaz, True History of the Conquest ot Mexico, p. 36, Loudon, 1800. 



■'Idem, ))p. 49, 57. 



^ Idem, pp. 69, 86, lO."), 109, 118. 



•'Idem. p. 14.3. 



I'Clavigero, History of Mexico. II, pp. 27,43,44, Philadelphia, 1817. 



