HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



75 



In this fame fifth month, the firft feftival of Huitzilo- 

 pochtli was celebrated. The priefts made a ftatue of this 

 god of the regular ftature of a man ; they made the flefti 

 of a heap of Tzohualli^ which is a certain eatable plant, 

 and the bones of the wood MizquitL They drefled it 

 in cotton with a mantle of feathers ; put on its head a 

 fmall parafol of paper, adorned with beautiful feathers, 

 and above that a bloody little knife of flint-ftone, upon 

 its breaft a plate of gold, and on its garment were feve- 

 ral figures reprefenting bones of the dead, and the image 

 of a man torn in pieces ; by which they intended to fig- 

 nify either the power of this god in battle, or the terri- 

 ble revenge, which, according to their mythology, he 

 took againft thofe who confpired againft the honour and 

 life of his mother. They put this ftatue in a litter made 

 on four wooden ferpents, which four principal officers of 

 the Mexican army bore from the place where the ftatue 

 was formed, into the altar where it was placed. Seve- 

 ral youths forming a circle, and joining themfelves toge* 

 ther by means of arrows, which they laid hold of with 

 their hands, the one by the head, the other by the point, 

 carried before the litter a piece of paper more than fif- 

 teen perches long, on which, probably, the glorious ac- 

 tions of that falfe divinity were reprefented, and which 

 they fung to the found of mufical inftruments. 



When the day of the feftival was arrived, in the 

 morning they made a great facrifice of quails, which af- 

 ter their heads were twifted off, they threw at the foot 

 of the altar. The firft who made this facrifice was the 

 king, after him the priefts, and laftly, the people. Of 

 this great profufion of quails, one part was drefTed for 

 the king's table, and thofe of the priefts, and the re- 

 mainder was referved for another occafion. Every per- 



fon 



