3§3 



Ihe middle of the sky, to begin the horrible 

 sacrifice of which we have spoken f s in the 

 description of plate 15th, No. 8. The corpse of 

 the victim remained stretched on the ground, 

 and the instrument made use of to kindle the 

 fire by rubbing (vo^ix of the Greeks, tletlaxoni 

 of the Mexicans) was placed on the wound, 

 which the priest of Copnlco, armed with a knife 

 of obsidian, had made in the breast of the pri- 

 soner destined to be sacrificed. When the bits 

 of wood {la harina del palillo), detached by the 

 rapid friction of the cylinder, had taken fire, an 

 enormous pile, previously prepared to receive 

 the body of the unfortunate victim, was kindled. 

 The flames of the pile were seen from a great 

 part of the valley of Mexico, on account of the 

 height of the mountain on which this sanguinary 

 rite was performed ; and the people filled the air 

 with joyful exclamations. All those who were 

 unable to follow the procession were stationed on 

 the terraces of houses, or the tops of the teocallis, 

 or the hills that arose in the middle of the lake ; 

 their eyes were fixed on the spot where the flame 

 was to appear, a certain presage of the benevo- 

 lence of the gods, and of the preservation of 

 mankind during the course of a new cycle. 

 Messengers posted at respective distances, hold- 

 ing branches of the wood of a very resinous pine, 



* Page 225. 



