78 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



the people of Yucatan and the Totonacas ufed this rite, 

 it was never pra&ifed by the Mexicans, or any other 

 nation of the empire. 



In the fixth month, which began upon the fixth of 

 June, the third feftival of the god Tlaloc was celebrated. 

 They ftrewed the temple in a curious manner with rufties 

 from the lake of Citlaltepec. The priefts who went to 

 fetch them, committed various hoftilities upon all paiTen- 



gers 



them. Tf he fpeaks of the Totonacas, who by having been fubjects of the king 

 of Mexico, are, by feveral authors, called Mexicans, it is true, that they made 

 fuch an incifion on children. 



The- indecent and lying author of the work, entitled, " Recherches Phllofophi- 

 ques fur les Americains" adopts the account given by Acofta, and makes a long 

 difcourfe on the origin of circumcifion, which he believes to have been invented 

 by the Egyptians, or the Ethiopians, to preferve themfelves, as he fays, from 

 worms, which trouble inhabitants of the torrid zone who are not circumcifed. 

 He affirms, that the Hebrews learned it from the Egyptians, and that at firft 

 it was a mere phyfical remedy, but was afterwards by fanaticifm conftituted a 

 religious ceremony : that the heat of the torrid zone is the caufe of this difor- 

 der, and that the Mexicans, and other nations of America, in order to free 

 themfelves from it, adopted circumcifion. But leaving afide the falfenefs of his 

 principles, and his fondnefs to difcufs minutely every fubject. which has any con- 

 nexion with obfeene pleafures, that we may attend to that only which concerns 

 our hiftory, we affert that no traces of the practice of circumcifion have ever 

 been found among the Mexicans, or among the nations fubjected by them, except 

 the Totonacas ; nor did we ever hear of any fuch diftemper of worms in thefe 

 countries, though they are all fituated under the torrid zone, and we vifited 

 for thirteen years all kinds of fick perfons. Befides, if heat is the caufe of fuch 

 a diftemper, it ought to have been more frequent in the native country of that 

 author than in the inland provinces of Mexico, where the climate is more tem- 

 perate. M. Mailer, who is quoted by the fame author, made no lefs a mif- 

 take ; in his Difcourfe on Circumcifion, inferted in the Encyclopedia, he, from 

 not having underftood the expreffions of Acofta, believed that they cut the ears 

 and the parts of generation, of all the Mexican children entirely ofF ; in won- 

 der at which he aflcs, if it was poffible that many of them could remain alive 

 after fo cruel an operation ? But if we had believed what M. Mailer believed, 

 we would rather have afked how there came to be any Mexicans at all in the 

 world ? That no future miftakes may be committed by thofe who read the an- 

 cient Spanilh hiftorians of America, it is neceflary to be obferved, that when 

 thefe hiftorians fay that the Mexicans, or other nations facrificed the tongue, the 

 ears, or any other member of the body, all they mean by it is, that they made 

 fome flight incifion in thefe members, and drew fome blood from them. 



