46 BUREAU OF AMERICAISr ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 



a wreath of jabin leaves, and poured a little halche down its throat, 

 its legs being held by the assistant (fig. 13). While doing this the 

 priest murmured the following prayer: 



In kubic ti hahnal cichpan colel, ti San Pedro, San Pablo, San Francisco. 



Translation 

 I offer a repast to the beautiful mistress, to San Pedro, San Pablo, San Francisco. 



The turkey and the other fowls were then killed hy having their 

 necks wrung, and the carcasses of all five were removed to the 

 house to be prepared by the women. The various bundles of masa 

 and sikil in their leaf coverings were next removed to the pib, where 

 the fire had burned itself out, leaving the hole half full of ashes 

 and red-hot stones. A lining of plantain bark was laid over the 

 stones, upon which the bundles were arranged; over these were 

 placed more hot stones and over the latter palm leaves; lastly, the 

 earth which had been dug from the 'pib was raked over all. The 

 priest next took a small quantity of the sacha from a calabash, in 

 a jabin leaf, and scattered it on the ground in three directions, 

 meanwhile murmuring this prayer: 



Cin kubic ti atepaloli, ti noh yum kab yetel uahmetan, atepalob, tiaca tzib nali. 

 Translation 



I offer to the majestic ones, to the great lord, corn cake, great ones. [Tiaca tzib 

 nah is somewhat obscure. The reading, according to Don Juan Martinez, of Merida, 

 should be tia ca oib-nah.l 



Afterward the priest repeated the performance with sacha from 

 the calabashes on the altar, and lastly with some from the cala- 

 bashes of the tuyun pishan. The sacJia was then distributed in 

 calabashes to the participants, it being essential that every drop of 

 it be drunk. After a wait of about an hour all proceeded to the 

 pih, which, after it had been sprinkled by the priest with halche 

 from a small calabash, was opened. The red-hot leaf-wrapped 

 bundles were carried to the small shed, where the coverings were 

 removed, exposing the tutiua and yoJcua, crisp, bro\\Ti, and hot. 

 These were placed upon the altar, with the exception of one tutiua, 

 which was tied to the string holding the calabashes of the tuyun 

 pishan. The cakes made from the remainder of the masa and siMl 

 were now crumbled into a large calabash and mixed with another 

 large calabash of Jcool (a reddish liquid made from water, ground 

 corn, black pepper, and achiote). The two mixtures were stirred 

 with a peeled wand of jabin till they formed a thick paste known 

 as sopas. While the sopas was being made the hearts, heads, and intes- 

 tines of the fowls were removed to the pi& where they were buried, lest 

 some animal by eating them should defile the offering. The cooked 

 and dismembered turkey and other fowls were brought out to the 

 small shed in calabashes; the livers, gizzards, and immature eggs 

 were chopped up fine and well mixed with the sopas. A small 



