76 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



fon who was prefent at the feftival, carried a clay cen- 

 fer, and a quantity of bitumen of Judea, to burn in of- 

 fering to their god, and all the coal which was made 

 ufe of was afterwards collected in a large ftove called 

 TlexifllL On account of this ceremony they called this 

 feftival the incenfing of Huitzilopochtli. Immediately af- 

 ter followed the dance of the virgins and priefts. The 

 virgins dyed their faces, their arms were adorned with 

 red feathers, on their heads they wore garlands of crifp 

 leaves of maize, and in their hands they bore canes which 

 were cleft, with little flags of cotton or paper in them. 

 The faces of the priefts were dyed black, their foreheads 

 bound with little ftiields of paper, and their lips daubed 

 with honey, they covered their natural parts with pa- 

 per, and each held a fceptre, at the extremity of which 

 was a flower made of feathers, and above that ano- 

 ther tuft of feathers. Upon the edge of the ftove two 

 men danced, bearing on their backs certain cages of 

 pine. The priefts in the courfe of their dancing, from 

 time to time, touched the earth with the extremity of 

 their fceptres, as if they refted themfelves upon them. 

 All thefe ceremonies had their particular fignification, 

 and the dance on account of the feftival at which it 

 took place was called Toxcachocholla. In another fepa- 

 rate place, the court and military people danced. The 

 mufical inftruments, which in fome dances were placed 

 in the centre, on this occafion were kept without and 

 hid, fo that the found of them was heard but the mu- 

 ficians were unfeen. 



One year before this feftival, the prifoner who was 

 to be facrificed to Huitzilopochtli, to which prifoner 

 they gave the name of Ixteocale, which fignifies, Wife 

 Lord of Heaven^ was fele&ed along with the victim for 



Tezcatlipoca. 



