SELEK] DESCRIPTION OF MITLA 251 



they called them. And if after the sacrifice he felt inclined to detain those who 

 hegged any favor he sent them word by the subordinate priests not to leave 

 their houses till their gods were appeased, and he commanded them to do pen- 

 ance meanwhile, to fast and to speak with no woman, so that, until this father 

 of sin had interceded for the absolution of the penitents and had declared the 

 gods appeased they did not dare to cross their thresholds. 



The second (underground) chamber was the burial place of these high priests, 

 the third that of the kings of Theozapotlan, whom they brought thither richly 

 dressed in their best attire, feathers, jewels, golden necklaces, and precious 

 stones, placing a shield in the left hand and a javelin in the right, just as they 

 used them in war. And at their burial rites great mourning prevailed ; the 

 instruments which were played made mournful sounds ; and with loud wailing 

 and continuous sobbing they chanted the life and exploits of their lord initil 

 they laid him on the structure which they had prepared for this purpose. 



The last (underground) chamber had a second door at the rear, which led to 

 a dark and grewsome room. This was closed with a stone slab, which occupied 

 the whole entrance. Through this door they threw the bodies of the victims 

 and of the great lords and chieftains who had fallen in battle, and they brought 

 them from the spot where they fell, even when it was very far off, to this burial 

 place; and so great was the barbarous infatuation of these Indians that, in the 

 belief of the happy life which awaited them, many who were oppressed by dis- 

 eases or hardships begged this infamous priest to accept them as living sacri- 

 fices and allow them to enter through that portal and roam about in the dark 

 interior of the mountain, to seek the great feasting places of their forefathers. 

 And when anyone obtained this favor the servants of the high priest led him 

 thither with special ceremonies, and after they had allowed him to enter through 

 the small door they rolled the stone before it again and took leave of him, and 

 the unhappy man, wandering in that abyss of darkness, died of hunger and 

 thirst, beginning already in life the pain of his damnation ; and on account of 

 this horrible abyss they called this village Liyobaa. 



When later there fell upon these people the light of the Gospel, its servants 

 took much trouble to instruct them and to find out whether this error, common 

 to all these nations, still prevailed, and they learned from the stories which had 

 been handed down that all were convinced that this damp cavern extended 

 more than 30 leagues underground, and that its roof was supported by 

 pillars. And there were people, zealous prelates anxious for knowledge, who. 

 in order to convince these ignorant people of their error, went into this cave 

 accompanied by a large number of people bearing lighted torches and fire- 

 brands, and descended several large steps. And they soon came upon many 

 great buttresses which formed a kind of street. They had prudently brought 

 a quantity of rope with them to use as guiding lines, that they might not lose 

 themselves in this confusing labyrinth. And the putrefaction and the bad odor 

 and the dampness of the earth were very great and there was also a cold wind 

 which blew out their torches. And after they had gone a short distance, fearing 

 to be overpowered by the stench or to step on poisonous reptiles, of which some 

 had been seen, they resolved to go out again and to completely wall up this 

 back door of hell. The four buildings iibove ground were the only ones which 

 still remained open, and they had a court and chambers like those underground ; 

 and the ruins of these have lasted even to the present day. 



One of the rooms above ground was the palace of the high priest, where he 

 sat and slept, for the apartnunit offered room and opportunity for everything. 

 The throne was like a high cushion with .i high back to lean against, all of tiger 

 skin, stuffed entirely with delicate feathers or with fine grass which was used 



