CONSECRATION OF THE TENNIS-COURT. 307 



of the Tennis-court, and the Stone through whose 

 Hole the Ball had pass'd. Every Tennis-court was 

 a Temple, having two Idols, the one of Gaming, 

 and the other of the Ball. On a lucky Day, at Mid- 

 night, they perform'd certain Ceremonies and En- 

 chantments on the two lower Walls and on the 

 Midst of the Floor, singing certain Songs, or Bal- 

 lads ; after which a Priest of the great Temple went 

 with some of their Religious Men to bless it ; he 

 uttered some Words, threw the Ball about the Ten- 

 nis-court four Times, and then it was consecrated, 

 and might be play'd in, but not before. The Own- 

 er of the Tennis-court, who was always a Lord, 

 never play'd without making some Offering and 

 performing certain Ceremonies to the Idol of Ga- 

 ming, which shows how superstitious they were, 

 since they had such Regard to their Idols, even in 

 their Diversions. Montezuma carry'd the Spaniards 

 to this Sport, and was well pleas'd to see them play 

 at it, as also at Cards and Dice." 



With some slight variation in details, the gen- 

 eral features are so identical as to leave no doubt 

 on my mind that this structure was erected for 

 precisely the same object as the Tennis-court in 

 the city of Mexico described by Herrera. The 

 temples are at hand in which sacrifices were of- 

 fered, and we discover in this something more im- 

 portant than the mere determining of the char- 

 acter of a building ; for in the similarity of diver- 

 sions we see a resemblance in manners and insti- 



