HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



23 



Ixtlilton (the black-faced) feems to have been a god 

 of phyfic j for they ufed to bring fick children to his 

 temple, to be cured. Their fathers brought them, and 

 dilating to them the prayers with which they were to 

 afk for health, made them dance before the image ; and 

 then gave them a water to drink which had been bleffed 

 by the priefts confecrated to the god. 



Coatlicue, or Coatlantona, was the goddefs of flowers. 

 She had a temple in Mexico called Jopico, where a fefti- 

 val was celebrated to her by the Xochimanqui, or com- 

 pofers of nofegays of flowers, in the third month which 

 falls in fpring. They prefented her among other things 

 with beautiful braids of flowers. We do not know whe- 

 ther this goddefs was the fame with the mother of Huit- 

 zilopochtli. 



Tlazolteotl was the god whom the Mexicans invoked 

 to obtain pardon of their fins, and to be freed from the 

 difgrace to which the guilty are expofed. The principal 

 devotees of this falfe deity were luftful men, who courted 

 his protection with facrifices and with offerings (7). 



Xipe is the name given by hiflorians to the god of the 

 goldfmiths, (u) who was greatly revered among the 

 Mexicans. They were perfuaded that all thofe who ne- 

 glected his worfliip, would be punifhed with difeafes, 

 particularly with the itch, boils, and fevere pains in the 

 eyes and the head. They took care, therefore, to diftin- 

 guifli themfelves by the cruelty of their facrifices, which 



were , 



(/) Boturini afferts, that Tlazolteotl was the immodeft and Hebeian goddefs; 

 and Macuilxocbiquetzalli, the Venus Pronuba. But the Mexicans never attributed 

 to their gods thofe ftiameful irregularities, which the Greeks and Romans im- 

 puted to theirs. 



(a) Xipe has no meaning; fo that I imagine the Spanifh writers not know- 

 ing the Mexican name of this god, applied to him the two firft fyllables of the 

 H«mc of his feaft Xipekualitxtli. 



