﻿906 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  temples 
  however 
  were 
  crowded 
  with 
  receptacles 
  of 
  offerings, 
  ranging 
  

   from 
  gold 
  to 
  cotton 
  cloth; 
  and 
  as 
  these 
  vessels 
  became 
  full, 
  they 
  were 
  

   secretly 
  removed 
  and 
  buried. 
  Presumably, 
  most 
  valuables 
  sooner 
  or 
  

   later 
  were 
  drained 
  off 
  by 
  religion 
  or 
  burial, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  must 
  have 
  

   been 
  a 
  steady 
  outflow 
  of 
  Chibcha 
  products 
  to 
  purchase 
  the 
  gold 
  they 
  

   needed. 
  

  

  Human 
  sacrifices 
  were 
  made 
  primarily 
  to 
  the 
  Sun, 
  who 
  "ate 
  persons." 
  

   When 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  arrived, 
  they 
  had 
  children 
  thrown 
  or 
  handed 
  to 
  

   them 
  as 
  being 
  reputed 
  sons 
  of 
  the 
  Sun. 
  There 
  were 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  tem- 
  

   ples 
  to 
  the 
  Sun; 
  and 
  the 
  town 
  Chia 
  was 
  named 
  after 
  the 
  Moon. 
  

   Offerings 
  to 
  Bochica 
  and 
  Chibchachum 
  must 
  include 
  some 
  gold, 
  it 
  is 
  

   said 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  natural 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  directly 
  worshiped 
  chiefly 
  by 
  

   rulers, 
  nobles, 
  traders, 
  and 
  goldsmiths. 
  Bachue 
  received 
  incense 
  gum 
  ; 
  

   Cuchabiba, 
  the 
  rainbow, 
  mainly 
  emeralds 
  and 
  beads 
  from 
  those 
  sick 
  

   of 
  fever 
  or 
  women 
  about 
  to 
  bear 
  a 
  child. 
  A 
  Nencatacoa, 
  patron 
  of 
  

   weavers 
  and 
  cloth 
  painters, 
  was 
  given 
  chicha. 
  This 
  constant 
  reference 
  

   to 
  offerings, 
  if 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  have 
  not 
  unduly 
  exaggerated 
  it, 
  suggests 
  

   prevalent 
  religious 
  approach 
  for 
  individual 
  benefit, 
  rather 
  than 
  a 
  fixed 
  

   series 
  of 
  ceremonies 
  for 
  the 
  common 
  good. 
  

  

  We 
  do 
  hear 
  of 
  a 
  September 
  maize 
  harvest 
  festival 
  with 
  processions 
  to 
  

   the 
  temples, 
  with 
  masks 
  painted 
  with 
  tears 
  and 
  their 
  wearers 
  beseech- 
  

   ing; 
  of 
  a 
  double 
  New 
  Year's 
  rite 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  March 
  and 
  June 
  

   moons, 
  when 
  each 
  home 
  burnt 
  its 
  refuse 
  and 
  threw 
  out 
  its 
  hearth 
  ashes; 
  

   of 
  the 
  Guatavita 
  Lake 
  ceremony 
  with 
  its 
  gilded 
  protagonist 
  and 
  offerings 
  

   by 
  the 
  nobility 
  from 
  rafts. 
  Guatavita 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  five 
  sacred 
  

   lakes 
  or 
  ponds 
  inhabited 
  by 
  snake 
  gods, 
  to 
  which 
  a 
  famous 
  pilgrimage 
  

   was 
  made 
  — 
  Guatavita, 
  Guasca, 
  Siecha, 
  Teusaca, 
  and 
  Ubaque 
  — 
  which 
  

   took 
  20 
  or 
  more 
  days, 
  though 
  the 
  airline 
  distance 
  is 
  not 
  many 
  more 
  

   miles; 
  but 
  there 
  was 
  much 
  chicha 
  consumed 
  each 
  night. 
  Tunja 
  voy- 
  

   aged 
  from 
  Guatavita 
  to 
  Ubaque, 
  Bacata 
  the 
  reverse, 
  ending 
  up 
  with 
  

   the 
  night 
  rite 
  on 
  the 
  lake. 
  

  

  While 
  coca 
  was 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  priesthood, 
  Datura 
  was 
  in 
  

   common 
  use 
  by 
  the 
  public 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  "wizards.' 
  ' 
  It 
  was 
  used 
  to 
  

   test 
  slaves, 
  with 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  if 
  they 
  wandered 
  out 
  while 
  unconscious, 
  

   they 
  would 
  sooner 
  or 
  later 
  try 
  to 
  escape. 
  The 
  Guane 
  similarly 
  gave 
  it 
  

   to 
  their 
  children 
  before 
  puberty. 
  If 
  the 
  boys 
  picked 
  up 
  farm 
  tools 
  or 
  

   weapons, 
  and 
  the 
  girls 
  spindles 
  or 
  grinding 
  manos, 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  sign 
  that 
  

   they 
  would 
  be 
  active 
  workers. 
  

  

  The 
  Chibcha 
  thought 
  and 
  grouped 
  mostly 
  in 
  6's. 
  Priests 
  trained 
  

   for 
  12 
  years, 
  chiefs 
  for 
  6 
  ("five 
  to 
  seven"). 
  Mourning 
  was 
  for 
  6 
  days. 
  

   Maize 
  was 
  of 
  6 
  colors. 
  At 
  a 
  child's 
  weaning, 
  cotton 
  wet 
  with 
  the 
  

   mother's 
  m'lk 
  and 
  wrapped 
  in 
  grass 
  was 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  6 
  

   swimmers 
  tried 
  to 
  retrieve 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  good 
  omen. 
  In 
  races, 
  the 
  chief 
  re- 
  

   warded 
  the 
  6 
  winners, 
  giving 
  6 
  cloaks 
  to 
  the^first 
  victor. 
  The 
  girl's 
  

   puberty 
  rite 
  lasted 
  6 
  days. 
  

  

  