56 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 



"Zumarraga, the first bishop of Mexico? 

 says, in a letter of the 12th of June, 1531, 

 addressed to the general chapter of his order, 

 that in that capital alone twenty thousand 

 human victims were annually sacrificed. 

 Some authors, quoted by Gomara, affirm 

 that the number of the sacrificed amounted to 

 fifty thousand. Acosta writes, that there 

 was a certain day of the year on which five 

 thousand were sacrificed in different places of 

 the empire ; and another day on which they 

 sacrificed twenty thousand. Some authors 

 believe that, on the mountain Tepejacae, 

 alone, twenty thousand were sacrificed to the 



goddess Tonantzin." 



# * # # 



"The most frequent oblation, however, 

 was that of Copal. All daily burned incense 

 to their idols ; no house was without censers. 

 The priests in the temple, fathers of families 

 in their houses, and judges in their tribunals, 

 whenever they pronounced sentence in an 



