THE AZTECS 209 
seen in several other sacrifices, namely, the paying of 
homage and honor to the intended sacrificial victim, 
and, secondly, the necessity of keeping the victim in 
a happy frame of mind. 
The eleventh feast of the year was called Ochpanizth, 
“the feast of the broom” and was celebrated in honor 
of the goddess known as Toci, or Teteoinnan. ‘The 
first of these names means “‘our female ancestor” and 
the second one means “‘the mother of the gods.” She 
was a goddess of the earth and her symbol was the grass 
broom with which the earth was swept. She also 
exerted an influence over the arts of the hearth, such as 
weaving. Her pictures in the codices show her with a 
broom in one hand and a shield in the other while about 
her head is a band of unspun cotton into which are 
stuck spindles wrapped with thread. 
During this month the roads were repaired, the houses 
and plazas swept, and the temples and idols refurbished. 
According to the text in the Codex Magliabecchiano 
there were human sacrifices in the temples which 
fronted on the roads and there were great dances and 
carousals. Those sacrificed were afterwards flayed 
as in the feast of Xipe and their skins worn by dancers. 
The picture that accompanies this revolting admission 
is itself devoid of any morbid symbols. It shows a 
kneeling woman holding out the broom and shield. 
She wears a white dress and a necklace of jade beads 
with golden bells for pendants. Below her are two 
standing men who bear in their hands offerings of ripe 
fruit. 
Sahagun gives details of a terrible drama that was 
enacted during this twenty-day month. For the first 
eight days there was dancing without song and without 
the drum. After this prologue a woman was chosen to 
