HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



107 



the lower area of the temple, the high-prieft, together 

 with their fervants, came out to meet the royal corpfe, 

 which, without delay, they placed upon the funeral 

 pile, which was prepared there for that purpofe of odo- 

 riferous refinous woods, together with a large quantity 

 of copal, and other aromatic fubftances. While the 

 royal corpfe, and all its habits, the arms and enfigns 

 were burning, they facrificed at the bottom of the flairs 

 of the temple a great number of flaves of thofe which 

 belonged to the deceafed, and alfo of thofe which had 

 been prefented by the lords. Along with the flaves 

 they likewife facrificed fome of the irregularly formed 

 men, whom the king had collected in his palaces for his 

 entertainment, in order that they might give him the 

 fame pleafure in the other world ; and for the fame 

 reafon they ufed alfo to facrifice fome of his wives (n). 

 The number of the victims was proportioned to the 

 grandeur of the funeral, and amounted fometimes, as 

 feveral hiftorians affirm, to two hundred. Among the 

 other facrifices the techichi was not omitted ; they were 

 firmly perfuaded, that without fuch a guide it would 

 be impoffible to get through fome dangerous ways which 

 led to the other world. 



The day following the afhes were gathered, and the 

 teeth which remained entire ; they fought carefully for 

 the emerald which had been hung to the under lip, and 

 the whole were put into the box with the hair, and they 



depofited 



{») Acofta fays (lib. v. cap. 8.) that at the funerals of lords, all the members 

 of his family were facrificed. But this is grofly falfe and in itfelf incredible ; 

 for had this been the cafe, the nobles of Mexico would have foon been exter- 

 minated. There is no record in the Hiftory of Mexico, that at the death of 

 the king of Mexico, any of his brothers were facrificed, as this author would 

 intimate. How is it poffible they could practife fuch cruelty when the new 

 king was ufually elected from among the brothers of the deceafed. 



