562 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



covered the entire facade. They came in to pay obeisance to her 

 as to the Sun's wife and the mother of the Incas, and they offered 

 prayers to her ; they called her Mamaquilla. On either side of her 

 were the bodies of former queens arranged in the order of their 

 antiquity ; Mama Ocllo, mother of Huayna Capac, was in the center 

 in front of the Moon, with her face turned toward her, as was proper 

 for the mother of such a son. 



1515. The second chamber or chapel, next to that of the Moon, 

 was dedicated to the planet Venus and the seven Pleiades and other 

 stars. They called Venus Chasca, which means with wide curly 

 locks ; she was page for the Sun, because she always moves near 

 him ; the Pleiades and other stars were handmaids and attendants 

 of the Moon, and for that reason they had their chapel and chamber 

 next their mistress, whom they escort at night. This chamber was 

 also completely lined with sheets of silver, and the ceiling covered 

 with silver stars, in imitation of the starry heavens. 



1516. Next the chamber and chapel of the planet and stars, came 

 that of lightning, thunderbolt, and thunder, which are all included 

 in the one word Yllapa, which means all three ; they are diflferentiated 

 in meaning by the accompanying verb ; when one says "Did you see 

 the yllapa ?" lightning is meant ; "Did you hear the yllapa ?" thunder ; 

 and when one says "The yllapa fell and did such and such damage," 

 the thunderbolt is meant. Accordingly they respected them as servants 

 of the Sun their father, and built a chapel for them to stay in. 



1517. The fourth apartment or chapel they dedicated to the rain- 

 bow, which they called Cuychu, for they perceived and realized that 

 it proceeded from the Sun, and so they adopted it as their escutcheon, 

 chevron, and coat of arms, setting great store by it, since they were 

 children of the Sun. This whole chapel was lined with sheets of 

 gold, on which the rainbow was painted in a most natural manner, 

 with all its colors, and so large that it extended from one wall to 

 the other. 



1518. The fifth apartment or chapel served as a sacristy, where 

 the High Priest had his headquarters, as well as the others who took 

 part in the temple ministrations and the service of the Sun. This 

 was likewise lined and decorated from top to bottom with slabs and 

 sheets of gold. The High Priest was called Villacumu, which the 

 Spaniards write Villaoma ; this meant soothsayer or wizard. He 

 interpreted to the people his consultations with the Sun and all the 

 other nonsense and mystifications which seemed good to him, and 

 carried it all ofif; they were always of the Incas' blood royal. All 



