.-so'-asto produce a stronger sensation. On nearly the whole of the Sei% 

 pent Idol, the paint is still fresh : they are all, as well as the represent- 

 ations in the manuscript, painted exactly alike. The colours of the 

 one exposed in a gateway at Tezcuco, appeared quite fresh on having 

 water thrown over it. 



No. 64. — Serpent's Head. Described in the preceding No. 63. 



No. 65. — The great Idol of the Goddess of War, before which thou- 

 sands of human victims were annually sacrificed on the altar. This 

 monstrous Idol is, with its pedestal, about twelve feet high, and four 

 feet wide ; it is sculptured out of one solid piece of grey basalt. Its 

 form is partly human, and the rest composed of rattle snakes and the 

 tiger. The head, enormously wide, seems that of two rattle snakes 

 united ; the fangs hanging out of the mouth, on which the still palpi- 

 tating hearts of the unfortunate victims were rubbed as an act of the 

 most acceptable oblation. The body is that of a deformed human frame, 

 and the place of arms is supplied by the heads of rattle snakes, put 

 on square plinths, and united by fringed ornaments. Round the waist 

 is a girdle, which was originally covered with gold ; and beneath this, 

 reaching nearly to the ground and partly covering its deformed cloven 

 feet, a drapery entirely composed of wreathed rattle snakes which the 

 natives call cohuatlicuye or garment of serpents,— on each side of 



infernal regions: and with their horrible sounding horns and trumpets, 

 their great knives for sacrifice, their human victims, and their blood be- 

 sprinkled altars, I devoted them, and all their wickedness to God's ven- 

 geance, and thought that the time would never arrive, that I should 

 escape from this scene of human butchery, horrible smells, and more de- 

 testable sights," 



The manner of their sacrifices he also thus describes : 

 " They open the body of the victim, while living, with large knives of 

 stone ; they take out his heart and blood, which they offer to their gods, 

 and then they cut off the limbs and the head, Upon which they feast, 

 giving the body to be devoured by the wild beasts, and the skulls they hang 

 up in their temples. In this accursed place were many vipers, and poi- 

 sonous serpents which have in their tails somewhat that sounds like cas- 

 tanets : these are the most dangerous of all, and were kept in vessels filled 

 with feathers, where they reared their young, and were fed with the flesh 

 of human beings and dogs; and I have been assured that, after our ex- 

 pulsion from Mexico, all these animals lived for many days upon the 

 bodies of our companions who were killed on that occasion. These 

 beasts and horrid reptiles were retained to keep company with their in- 

 fernal gods, and when these animals yelled and hissed, the place seemed 

 like hell itself." 



