HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



7 



with the appearance of afcending fmoke painted on it, 

 by which they intended to reprefent the prayers of the 

 diftreffed. The whole breafl was covered with maffy 

 gold. He had bracelets of gold upon both his arms, an 

 emerald in the navel, and in his left hand a golden fan, 

 fet round with beautiful feathers, and polifhed like a 

 mirror, in which they imagined he faw every thing that 

 happened in the world. At other times to denote his 

 juftice, they reprefented him fitting on a bench covered 

 with a red cloth, upon which were drawn the figures of 

 ikulls, and other bones of the dead : upon his left arm a 

 fliield with four arrows, and his right lifted in the atti- 

 tude of throwing a fpear : his body dyed black, and his 

 head crowned with quail-feathers. 



Ometeuclli and Omecihuatl (/). The former was a 

 god, and the latter a goddefs, who they pretended dwelt 

 in a magnificent city in heaven, abounding with delights, 

 and there watched over the world, and gave to mortals 

 their wifhes : Ometeuclli to men, and Omecihuatl to wo- 

 men. They had a tradition that this goddefs having had 

 many children in heaven, was delivered of a knife of 

 flint ; upon which her children in a rage threw it to the 

 earth, from which when it fell, fprung fixteen hundred 

 heroes, who, knowing their high origin, and having no 

 fervants, all mankind having peri (lied in a general cala- 

 mity, (g) agreed to fend an embafly to their mother, to 

 intreat her to grant them power to create men to lerve 

 them. The mother anfwered, that if they had more 

 exalted fentiments, they would have made themfelves 



worthy 



(/) They likewife gave thefe gods the names of Citlallatonac, and Citlalicue, 

 upon account of the ftars. 



(g) Thefe people, as we fhall mention in another place, believed that the 

 •arth had fuffcred three great univerfai calamities by which all mankind had 

 Veen deftroyed. 



