HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



51 



nation which has not pra&ifed fimilar facrifices, it would 

 be difficult to find one which has carried them to fo 

 great an excefs as the Mexicans appear to have done. 



We are ignorant what fort of facrifices may have 

 been pra&ifed by the ancient Toltecas. The Cheche- 

 mecas continued long without ufing them, having at 

 firft neither idols, temples, nor priefts, nor offering any 

 thing to their gods, the Sun and Moon, but herbs, 

 flowers, fruits, and copal. Thofe nations never thought 

 of facrificing human victims, until the example of the 

 Mexicans baniftied the firft: impreffions of nature from 

 their minds. What they report touching the origin of 

 fuch barbarous facrifices we have already explained ; 

 namely, that which appears in their hiftory concerning 

 the firft facrifice of the four Xochimilcan prifoners 

 which they made when in Colhuacan. It is probable, 

 that at the time when the Mexicans were infulated in 

 the lake, and particularly while they remained fubjeft 

 to the dominion of the Tepanecas, the facrifice of hu- 

 man victims muft have happened very feldom, as they 

 neither had prifoners, nor could purchafe Haves for fa- 

 crifices. But when they had enlarged their dominions, 

 and multiplied their victories, facrifices became frequent 

 and on fome feftivals the victims were numerous. 



The facrifices varied with refpect to the number, 

 :place, and mode, according to the circumftances of the 

 feftival. In general the victims fuffered death by having 

 their breads opened ; but others were drowned in the 

 lake, others died of hunger {hut up in caverns of the 

 mountains, and laftly, fome fell in the gladiatorian fa- 

 crifice. The cuftomary place was the temple, in the 

 upper area of which ftood the altar deftined for ordi- 

 nary facrifices. The altar of the greater temple of Mex- 

 ico 



