Hiftorie of the Indies 



mony at the foot of the palifado, placing a great guard 

 about them. Prefcntly there ftept foorth a Pried, atty- 

 red with a fhorte furplife full of tafTelles beneath , who 

 came from the top of the temple with an idollrnade 

 of pafte of wheatc & mays mingled with hony, which 

 bad the eyes made of thegraincsof grccne glafle , and 

 the teeth of the graines of mays , hee descended the 

 ftcppes of the temple with all the fpcede he coukUntf 

 mounted ona great ftonc planted vpon a high rerraffir 

 in the midft of the court. This ftone was called guaux- 

 icdti, which is to lay, the ftone of Eagle, whereon he 

 mounted by a little ladder, which was in the fore part 

 of the terrafe,and dcfcended by an other ftairc on the 

 other fide,ftiil embracing his idoll.Thcn did he mount 

 to the place where thole were that fliould be ficrificed, 

 ihcwing this idoll to every one in particular, faying vn- 

 tp them- this is your god. And having ended his (hew, 

 he defcended by the other fide of the ftaires, and all 

 fuchas ihould die , went in proceflion vnto the place 

 where they fhould bcfacrificed, where they found the 

 Minifters ready for that office. The ordinary manner 

 of facrificing was, to open the ftomake of him that was 

 facrificed, and having pulled out his heart halfc alive, 

 they tumbled the man downc the ftaires of the Tem 

 ple, which were all imbrewcd and defiled with blood: 

 And to make it the more plaine, fixe facrificers beeing 

 appointed to this digni tie , came into the place of fa- 

 crifice, fourc to holae the hands and feete of him that 

 fliould be (acrificed, thefifttoholdehishead, and the 

 fixt to open his ftomacke , and to pull out the heart of 

 the facrificed. They called them Cfiachihxwii which 

 in our tong is as much, as the miniftersof holy things. 

 It was a high dignitie, and muchefteemedamongeft 



C c them, 



