749 
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early difcovery of their country. Had it been referved 
for later periods, what a high degree of civilization might 
the natives have attained, and how much valuable infor¬ 
mation might have been obtained by conquerors lefs 
barbarous and ignorant than were the Spanilh adven¬ 
turers. 
It is not to be fuppofed that the Peruvian fyftem was 
free from faults. Their advancement in the arts was 
much retarded by their detached and independent mode 
of life. Their only city was Cufcoj every-where elfe 
they lived in detached and diftant habitations ; confe- 
quently every man exercifed the known arts indifcrimi- 
nately. The reparation of profeffions did not obtain ; and 
therefore improvement was flow. A great defeft in their 
criminal jurifprudence was the capital punifhment of all 
offences indifcriminately. This arofe from the religious 
nature of their legiflature. All offences being confidered 
as infults to the Deity, and an infult to the Deity being 
of courfe a crime worthy of death, the flighted offence 
cod the life of the offender. The cruel cudom, too, of 
immolating the attendants of a grandee at his funeral, 
under the abfurd notion of their waiting on him in the 
next world, was prevalent in Peru. On the death of Huana 
Capac, above a thoufand vidtims were doomed to accom¬ 
pany him to the tomb. 
There were four orders of people in Peru ; viz. i. The 
royal race, or children of the fun. z. The orejones, or 
nobles, who were allied to the fird, and were fo named 
either from the ear-rings they wore, or from the largenefs 
of their ears, which was a mark of royal defcent; for Gar- 
cilaffo de la Vega, himfelf a defendant from the incas, 
fays, that “ Mango Capac was particularly remarked on 
account of his ears, which were fo large as to be hardly 
credible to thofe who had not, as I have, noted them in 
the perfons of his defcendants.” 3. The commonalty, or 
freemen. 4. The yanaconas or flaves, whofe garb and 
houfes were of a form different from thofe of the freemen, 
or bulk of the people. 
The religion of the Peruvians confided chiefly in the 
worfliip of the Sun, but fome haveafferted that the belief 
in another and fuperior Being obtained very generally 
among them. It is not eafy, at this period of time, to 
eftablifh the truth : but certain it is, that they built a 
magnificent temple and worfhipped a deity under the title 
of Pacha Camac, a word which, according to Garcilafl'o, 
fignifies the “ Soul of the World.” On the other hand, 
they offered to this deity, even if diftindt from the Sun, 
the fame facrifices and prayers as were offered to that lu¬ 
minary. Upon the whole, therefore, we fliould confider 
that there was latitude and variety of belief, according 
to the ignorance or information of the different worlhip- 
pers; but that the common people did Very generally 
worlhip, as the great God, the Sun only. 
Befides the Sun, the Peruvians worfhipped the Moon 
(according to their creed his wife and filter), under the 
title of Mama Quilla; but they did not hold feafts, or pre¬ 
pare facrifices, for her efpecial honour. They contented 
themfelves with fimple proftrations and prayer; a fpecies 
of adoration which they likewife paid to the planet 
Chafca (Venus), an attendant of the Sun; to Thunder 
and Lightning, the minifters of his anger; and to the 
Rainbow, with which likewife he feemed to have fome 
immediate connexion. The priefts were all the younger 
fons of the incas; and confequently, as they were de- 
fcended from the Sun, received in their own perfons fome 
portion of the public worfhip. Many were the ceremo¬ 
nies which were performed in honour of the Sun by thefe 
his reputed children; and, though they had effectually 
abolifhed the facrifices which fome have feared were prac- 
tifed among the Peruvians before their civilization by 
Mango Capac, yet they confecrated their altars with the 
blood of animals. Their chief ceremony was called the 
Great Ray mi, or Feaft of the Sun; this was fo curious, 
that we (hall detain our readers with a Ihort account of it. 
It began by the prieft procuring fire from the “ hand of 
R U. 
the Sun.” This was done in the fame way as we create 
fire by condenfing the folar rays into a focus by the 
means of a lens. The inftrument ufed by them was a 
concave and highly - polifhed veffel, which reflected the folar 
rays towards a little mafs of cotton, which of courfe took 
fire. The fire thus obtained was ufed to burn the victims, 
and to cook the food which was eaten during that day’s 
feftival; and was then taken to the Temple of the Sun, 
and to the houfe of the Chofen Virgins, whofe care was to 
preferve it unextinguifned. If the Sun did not (hine on 
the firll day of the feaft, the Indians kindled fire in the 
ordinary way, but not without dire prefages as to the an¬ 
ger of the Sun, who had thusrefufed them fire “from his 
own hand.” 
The next ftep was'the proceflion. This was formed by 
the chief officers, curacas or paciques, of the empire, and 
was at once grand and grotefque. Some of them were 
clothed in veftments embroidered with gold, and their 
heads were crowned with garlands of the fame. Some 
were clothed in the Ikins of lions. Some repr'efented 
angels, being adorned with feathers of a very large and 
facred bird called Cuntur, fo as to appear as if they had 
wings. There were fome alfo who difguifed themfelves 
in a variety of nialks, fome comic, others horrible, and 
who, making hideous and difcordant founds both with 
their voices and by inftruments, difplayed in antics and 
ridiculous poftures the moft laughable fooleries. Laftly, 
all the nobles wore their arms, as bows, javelins, hatch¬ 
ets, See. and the fpoils of war. The facrifices then took 
place in the prefence of the affembled people, and of 
ftrangers or vifitors. Afterwards, with much ceremony, 
the inca, having awaited the firft dawn of day, and kneel¬ 
ing, having killed the air in the direftion of the Sun, he 
offered to that luminary a libation in a ponderous golden 
vafe. The proceflion now moved towards the temple, 
but flopped within two hundred paces of its gate : the 
inca alone and his family advanced, and offered vafes to 
the deity of the temple. The priefts then received veflels 
or prefents from all the nobles in the proceflion, which 
they likewife depofited in the temple. The facrifices 
having been refumed, and auguries eftablilhed from them, 
the Feaft of Raymi ended by eating a peculiar and fa¬ 
cred bread called cancu, and the flefli of the flaughtered 
victims. Drink was abftained from until fome hours 
after the repaft. We prefent our readers with an engra¬ 
ving of the above-mentioned grotefque proceflion. 
The moft magnificent of all the Temples dedicated 
to' the Sun was that eredted at Cufco, a city which 
had been founded by Mango Capac himfelf. Ac¬ 
cording to Garcilafl'o (from whom the following de- 
feription is taken), this temple, for its beauty and rich- 
nefs, exceeded all that imagination can conceive. It was 
built, however, of wood, and was covered with thatch, 
(for tiles and bricks were unknown;) but the walis were 
completely wainfeoted with plates of gold. The great 
altar was fituated towards the eaftern wall of this fuperb 
edifice, and was furmounted by the figure of the Sun. 
This figure, which covered the whole of the eaftern wall, 
was a large and maflive golden plate, carved fo as to re- 
femble the painting commonly made by artifts of this day, 
viz. a round human vifage furrounded with flaming 
rays. 
On each fide of the temple were arranged, in the order 
of their fucceflion, the bodies of the deceafed kings, em¬ 
balmed in fuch a manner (it is faid) as to appear alive. 
They were feated on thrones of gold, raifed on pedeftals 
of the fame metal; and had their countenances diredted 
towards the floor of the building; excepting however 
Huana Capac, the twelfth and laft inca of the race of 
Mango Capac, whofe eminent virtue and kingly quali¬ 
ties had procured him the honour of fitting on the weftern 
fide of the building; that is to fay, with his face turned 
diredtly towards the image of the fun. The gates of the 
temple were many, and all covered with plates of gold ; 
and the principal entrance was from the north. Round 
the 
