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death, these electors, and their descendants, 
should have the right of choosing the high priest 
of Iraca. The pontiffs, or lamas, the successors 
of Bochica, were considered as heirs of his vir- 
tue and sanctity ; and such as Cholula, in the time 
of Montezuma, was to the Aztecks, Imca had 
been to the Muyscas. The people thronged in 
crowds to offer presents to the high priests, visit- 
ing those places which were consecrated by the 
miracles of Bochica ; and amidst the horrors of 
the most sanguinary warfare, the pilgrims enjoy- 
ed the protection of those princes, through whose 
territories they passed to visit the sanctuary 
(chunsua)^ and prostrate themselves at the feet of 
the lama, who presided there. The temporal 
chief, called zaque of Tunja, to whom the zippa, 
or princes of Bogota paid an annual tribute, 
and the pontiff of Iraca, were consequently two 
distinct potentates, as the emperor and dairi are 
in Japan. I have deemed it important, to cite 
in this place those historical incidents, which are 
almost unknown in Europe, in order to excite 
some interest in favour of a nation, of whose ca- 
lendar we propose to give an explanation. 
Bochica was not only considered as the founder 
of a new worship, and lawgiver of the Muyscas ; 
as emblem of the Sun he regulated the seasons, 
and to him was attributed the invention of the 
calendar. He had prescribed also the order of 
the sacrifices, which were to be celebrated at the 
