A Voyage to 



fitite of Sincerity, Procurator of the Miffions the King of 

 Spain maintains in Chili, affured mc, That they were per- 

 fect Atheifts : That they worfhip'd no fort of Thing, and 

 made a Jeft of all that could be faid to them as to that 

 Point : That in Reality their Fathers made no Progrefs 

 therein, which does not agree with the Lettres Edifianter, 

 written by the Milfioners, Vol. 8. where it is faid. That 

 they converted many at Nahuelhuapi, in 42 Degrees Lati- 

 tude, and 50 Leagues from the Sea, among the Puelches 

 and the Poyas, in the Year 1704. Neverthelefs, they pe- 

 netrate very near to the Streights of Magellan, and live 

 among thofe People without receiving any Harm from 

 them : On the contrary, thofe Indians have a fort of Vene- 

 ration for the Miffioners ; but they may, in Procefs of 

 Time, make fome Advance, bccaufe they defire the prime 

 Caciques to give them their eldeft Sons to be inftru&cd. 

 They breed up a certain Number of them in their College 

 of Chilian, whofe Penfions the King is to pay $ and when 

 grown up, they fend them back to their Parents, inftru&ed 

 in the Chriftian Religion, and bred up to Spanifi Litera- 

 ture ; fo that there are at prefent fome Chriftians among 

 them, and who are fatisfy'd with one Wife. 



One Sign that the Indians of Chili have no Religion^ 

 is, That never any fort of Temples nor Idols have been 

 found among them for their Worfhip, as is ftill to be feen 

 in feveral Parts of Peru, efpecially at Cufco b where the 

 Temple of the Sun is ftill to be feen ; and if there be fome 

 Appearance of Divination among them, it is no other than 

 the Ufe of the Fifh, that frequently ferves them. There 

 are fome who believe there is another Life r for which 

 they put into the Monuments of the Dead, Meat, Drink, 

 and Cloathing. The Spanijh Curates have not abolifli'd 

 that Cuftom among thofe who are Chriftians : As it turns 

 to their Account, they fupply the Place of the Dead Per- 

 fon, as has been feen at Talcaguana. 



The Wives of thofe who are not Chriftians, ftay feve- 

 ral Days by their Husbands Graves to cook for them, to 



pour 



