24 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



were made at a feftival ufually celebrated in the fecond 

 month. 



Mappateuclli (four times lord) was the god of the 

 mat-weavers. He was faid to be a benign god, eafy to 

 pardon injuries, and generous towards all. He had two 

 temples in Mexico, where a feftival was held in the thir- 

 teenth month. 



OmacatI was the god of mirth. Upon occafion of any 

 public rejoicing, or any great feaft of the Mexican lords, 

 they imagined they would certainly meet with fome dif- 

 after if they neglected to bring the image of this god 

 from the temple and fet it up at the feaft. 



Tonantzin (our mother) I take to be the fame with 

 the goddefs Centeotl, whom we have mentioned before. 

 She had a temple upon a mountain, about three miles 

 from Mexico towards the north, whither the nations 

 came in crowds to worfhip her, with a wonderful number 

 of facrifices. At the foot of that hill is now the mod 

 famous fan&uary in the new world, dedicated to the true 

 God ; where people from the moft remote countries af- 

 femble to worfhip the celebrated and truly miraculous 

 image of the moft Holy Lady of Guadaloupe ; thus con- 

 verting a place of abomination into a mercy-feat, where 

 religion has diftributed its favours, for the benefit of thofe 

 nations, in the place that has been ftained with the blood 

 of fo many of their anceftors. 



Teteoinan was the mother of the gods, which the word 

 itfelf fignifies. As the Mexicans called themfelves the 

 children of the gods, they gave to this goddefs the name 

 likewife of Tocitzin, that is, our grand-mother. 1 have 

 already fpoken of the origin and deification of this pre- 

 tended mother of the gods in the fecond book, where 1 

 gave an account of the tragical death of the princefs of 



Colhuacan. 



