186 / 1060
Royal
Commentaries.
B00K
v.
{bould rnillake any thing of giving
it
the due form ;
it
is reported, that the
Inca
himfelf did oftentimes fit,
and
{hew himfelf
to
them in the fame habit and
figure,
in which, he faid, tbe Apparition pre[ented it felf: Nor would he permit, that
the
Image of the God
Piracocha
fuould be
un~e!Valu~d
by any fur1!1, or other fhape
than that
of a
King,
fuch
efl:eem and fuperfht1on did they conceive of
their
Idol
Gods.
This Statue did fomerhing refemble the Images we make of our Bleffed Apo–
files, particularly that of Sc.
Bartholomew,
whom they paint
ith the Devil at his
feet, as they did this Figure
ofViracocha,
with fome unknown Beall: couching
be–
neath him. · The
Spaniards
obferving this Temple, and the form and failiion of
·
chis Statue,
will
have it, that the Apofl:le St.
Bartholomew
came as far as
Peru
to
Preach the Gofpel to thefe Gentiles, and that in Honour and Memory of him
the
Indians
had eretted this Temple and Image. And fuch as were Natives
of
Caz.co,and of the
M<?ngrel
breed between
Spanifh
and
Indian
Bloud, have for a–
bove thirty years pafr Affociated themfelves into
ti
Fraternify, or Community, in-
to which they would not fuffer any
Spaniard
to enter. Thefe upon their Solemn
days are at great Expences, taking St.
Bartholomew
for their Apofl:le, and in defpight
of all contradietion, they
will
have it, that he came and preached
in
Peru,
and
for that reafon
will
own no other than
him
for their Patron; which feemeth a ri–
diculous fancy to fome
Spaniards,
who laughing at the bravery and fine Vefiments
they produce on that day, tell them, that this Fefiival and Proceffion is not defign-
ed in Honour of the Apo!lle, but of the
Inca Viracocha.
But why the
Inca Viracocha
fhould build this Temple
in
Cacha,
rather than in
Chita,
where the Spirit appeared
to
him, or in
Yahuarpampa,
where the Victory
was fought ; the
Indians
cannot well affign any more probable and jull: reafon for
it, than the free
ill
and pleafure of the
Inca,
unlefs it were fome fecret and hid–
den caufe, not revealed or made known
to
any.
This Temple being of fuch an
odd and firange Model, as we have declared, was demolifhed by the
Spaniard.!,
as
many other fiately Fabricks in
Peru
have been defiroyed by tl\em ; which
in
my
opinion ought rather to have been conferved and kept
in
good repair, that Ages
to come might fee and know the Grandeur and Valour of their Ancefiours, who
were able by their good fortune and conduct to
f~bdue
a Nation '' hich was capa...
ble to eretl: fuch Buildings and Monuments of their Art and Wifedom ; but per–
haps en y or fcorn of that people might ha e moved the
Spaniards
to defiroy their
Works, nut allowing them the Honour to be maintained in repair
5
and indeed
the Dilapidation hath been fo great', that fcarce one Scone remains on another;
the \vhich defiruttion., Men of Curiofity, and Lovers of Antiquity, do much
la–
ment. But the reafon which they give for
it
is,
that they could not be perfua-
ed, but that much Treafure lay buried under the Foundation of rhofe Buildings,
which could not be difcovered, but by a total fubverfion of the Fabrick. The firfr
thing demoliilied in
this
Temple was the Statue, they having an opinion, that
much Gold ' as buried under the Pedefl:al on which
it
was ereCl:ed · other pares of
th Temple they digged up, fometirnes in one place, and then in another, untill
at len'gtQ they defaced, or defiroyed the whole Pile and
Ma~
of Building: How–
foever, die Image of tone is
fiill
in
being unto
this
day, though much broken and
battered
by
the
on
, "hi h they threw at
it.
CH AP.
•