HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



109 



If it was the fepulchre of any military perfon, they laid a 

 fliield and fword by him ; if of a woman, a fpindle, a 

 weaver's fliuttle, and a xicalli, which was a certain natur- 

 ally formed veffel, of which we ftiall fay more hereafter. 

 In the tombs of the rich they put gold and jewels, but all 

 were provided with eatables for the long journey which 

 they had to make. The Spanifli conquerors, knowing 

 of the gold which was buried with the Mexican lords in 

 their tombs, dug up feveral, and found confiderable quan- 

 tities of that precious metal. Cortes fays in his letters, 

 that at one entry which he made into the capital, when 

 it was befieged by his army, his foldiers found fifteen 

 hundred Castellanos (p), that is, two hundred and forty 

 ounces of gold, in one fepulchre, which was in the tower 

 of a temple. The anonymous conqueror fays alfo, that 

 he was prefent at the digging up of another fepulchre, 

 from which they took about three thoufand Caftellanos. 



The caves of the mountains were the fepulchres of 

 the ancient Chechemecas ; but, as they grew more civil- 

 ized, they adopted in this and other rites, the cuftoms of 

 the Acolhuan nation, which were nearly the fame with 

 thofe of the Mexicans. 



The Miztecas retained in part the ancient ufage of the 

 Chechemecas, but in fome things they were lingular in 

 their cuftoms. When any of their lords, fell tick, they 

 offered prayers, vows, and facrifices for the recovery of 

 his health. If it was reftored, they made great rejoic- 

 ings. If he died, they continued to fpeak of him as if he 

 was ft ill alive, and conducted one of his flaves to the 

 corpfe, drelTed him in the habits of his mafter, put a maik 

 upon his face, and for one whole day, paid him all the 



honours 



(p) The Spanilh goldfmiths divide the pound weight of gold into two 

 Marchi, or into fixteen ounces, or a hundred Caftellanos ; confequently, an ounce 

 contains 6^ Caftellanos. 



