THOMAS] FESTIVALS AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE KAN YEARS. 61 



They modeled a heart from the dough of their bread, and in the same way 

 another loaf, of gourd seeds, which they presented to the idol Kan-u- Uay- 

 eyab. It was thus that they guarded this statue and the other during the 

 unfavorable days, perfuming them with their incense and with incense mixed 

 with grains of bruised maize. They believed that if they neglected these 

 ceremonies they would be subject to the calamities which were the result of 

 this year. The unlucky days having passed, they carried the statue of the 

 god Bolon-Zacah to the temple, and the image of the other to the eastern 

 entrance of the city, in order to have it for the next year. They left it 

 there, and returning home each one occupied himself with preparations for 

 the celebration of the new year. 



"As soon as the ceremonies were terminated and the evil spirit dis- 

 pelled, according to their mistaken idea, they believed this year to be fortu- 

 nate, because with the sign Kan reigns the Bacah-Hobnil, who, as they say, 

 has not sinned as his brothers, and for this reason no calamity befell them 

 in that year. But as it frequently happened that this occurred notwithstand- 

 ing, the demon was conciliated by establishing these ceremonies, so that in 

 case of misfortune they attributed the fault to their ceremonies and to those 

 who served in them, so that thsy remained always in error and blindness. 



"At his instigation, then, they fabricated an idol called Tzamna-Cauil, 

 which they placed in his temple, and burnt before it in the court three pellets 

 of milk,^ or resin, which the}^ called kik; they sacrificed to it either a dog 

 or a man, which was done with the ceremony spoken of in chapter one 

 hundred on the subject of victims. There was, however, some difference 

 in the manner of offering this sacrifice; they put in the court of the temple 

 a large heap of stones, and the man or animal who was to be sacrificed was 

 fastened to a sort of elevated scaffold, from whence they hurled him onto 

 the heap of stones; the officers immediately seized him and tore out his 

 heart, which they carried to the new idol, offering it to him between two 

 plates. They made still other offerings of comestibles. At this feast the 

 old women, selected for this occasion, danced, clothed in peculiar garments. 

 They believed that an angel descended then and received the sacrifice. 



' By the term "milk," as Lere used, is meant the milky juice of some plant. 



