3B'2 
the middle of the sky, to begin the horrible 
sacrifice of which we have spoken in the 
description of plate 15th, No. 8. The corpse of 
the victim remained stretched on the ground, 
and the instriimeut made use of to kindle the 
fire by rubbing of the Greeks, tletlaxoni 
of the Mexicans) was placed on the wound, 
which the priest of Copulco, armed with a knife 
of obsidian, had made in the breast of the pri- 
soner destined to be sacrificed. When the bits 
of wood {la harina del palillo), detached by the 
rapid friction of the cylinder, had taken fire, an 
enormous pile, previously prepared to receive 
the body of the unfortunate victim, was kindled. 
The flames of the pile were seen from a great 
part of the valley of Mexico, on account of the 
height of the mountain on which this sanguinary 
rite was performed ; and the people filled the air 
with joyful exclamations. All those who were 
unable to follow the procession were stationed on 
the terraces of houses, or the tops of the teocallis, 
or the hills that arose in the middle of the lake ; 
their eyes were fixed on the spot where the flame 
was to appear, a certain presage of the benevo- 
lence of the gods, and of the preservation of 
mankind during the course of a new cycle. 
Messengers posted at respective distances, hold- 
ing branches of the wood of a very resinous pine. 
Page 225. 
