22 / 1060
_
Royal
Commentarieso
c
HAP.
IV.
Of the Idolatry and Gods which the Ancient
Incas
adored, anJ
Manner of their Sacrifices.
F,
OR better underfianding of the Life, Cull:oms and Idolatry of the
flldJ4ns
of
Pent
it
will
be neceffary
to
difiinguifh the times
fore the
lnca.r,
from
thofe
\vherei~
their Rule and Empire began,
their Gods and
acrifices and
· Cufi:orns
being
much different, according to the
Ages; for
the
Men
chem–
felves
in
the
firfr
times , were at bell: but as
t
ed Beafis, and others were
worfe'rhan
the fiercefi Creatures.
To begin
with their
Gods
'-' e mull: know,
that they were agreeable
to
the quality of their own corrupt and abominable man–
ners, and every
ation, Province, Tribe and Hou[e had
its
_Particular
God;
for
their Opinion was, that
one
God
wo~ld
have bufinefs fuffic1ent co
~ke
care
of
one Province, or Family, and that their Power was
fo
confined,
that
1t
co ld
haven virtue or extent within the Jurifdietion of another: and becaufe
thejr
Fancies were not
fo
fublimated,
as
to
frame abfiraeted
otions
ofDeities,
fuch
as Hope, Vietory, Peace, and the like, as the
Rumans
did in the rime ofGenri–
lifm; they
adored
whatfoever they faw, fuch as Flowers,
Plants,
Herbs, Trees.,
efpecially, Pines and Elmes;
Caves,
Stones, Rivers ;
and particularly in that
Province, which is called the Old Port, they had a high Veneration for the Ef–
merald,
becaufe
it
is
the
Ptetious
Stone
of
that
Countrey,
and the
Diamond
and
Ruby are in no
ell:eem
1
becaufe they are not known
to
them ; the
y alfo wor-1hipp'ed
rhe
Lion , Tyger and Bear, for their fiercene!S, and with that
fubmiffi.onand humility, that _they would not
fly
from them, but offer themfelve
s to be de–voured
by
them.
In
fine
t
ey adored any thing wherein they obferved an Excel–
lency
7
as
the
Fox and Monky for Craft,
the
Hart for his
Swifinefs,
the Falcon
for
his Agility and Couragey and the Eagle for the Acutenefs of his Sight: fuch
was
the vanity
~ud
folly
in the imagination of this favage People, who had no Scrip–
ture to teach and enlighte them, nor
rince to govern and protect them.
How foever there \Vere orher
ations more confiderate in choice of their
Deities,
adoring
none bur fuch as afforded them benefit and advantage; as
Foun–
tain , and cool Springs which yielded them
Drink,
Rivers that watered their Pa–
~ures;
the Eartn
they
called their Mother,
and
worfhipped, becaufe it yidded
them Food, the Air,
oecaufe
they
br~d~ed
in
it,
and' as
their
Life,
the
Fire,
becaufe
it
wcirmed them, and dre!fed their Meat; fame alfo made choice
of
Sheep, and Corn, and Cartel, and every thing that abounded moft in their Coun..
trey, and ferved for nourHhment,
to
be a
God,
and '
nhy
of
Divine
ononr.
The Inhabitants near the
Cordil era
worfhipped that Mounram for its height, rhofe
of the Coa!l: made the
Sea
their God,
hich in their
language
they call
Mam-ti–
tkoca,
_and
i~
as much as
to
~ay,
the Mother ea : the \iVhale for its
prod~ious
b1gne1s was m no lefs Veneration than the
rdl:,
and
every
fort ofFifh \.Vhich a'boun–
ded amongfl: them ' as deified , becaufe they
belie'.i
e that the firfi F
~ i_~
the
World
~boye
them, takes ah ays care
to
provide them with a number oft re like
fort
or
fpedes
ufficient to maintain and
nourifh
them. Belides thefe there are
t\YO
arions which are
C
hirihnamu,
and others living about the Ca e of
Paffat1
( vl:ich are
th~.
orth and
on.thBor?ers
?f
Peru,)
that ha\ e no thoughts or
incli~
nanons
to
Rehg10~, ~n
w
rflu noth.rng
eithe~
above or below ; but
giving
them–
felves over
to
fiup1duy and fiorh, neither havmg
f<
r nor I ,-e,
Ii
e with
roe
[(me
fenfuality
that eJfls d
?
b aufe they h \"e not a yet had the happineG to recei e
tbe
infir~
ions,
d_
rine nd
government
f
the
lncM,
who are the
Indian
Kings.
he acnfic
\ hich they made
to
thefe
ods \.Yere
ruel
and barbar us as the
. o_?s
w
re
ll:upi
and
fenfel~G,
to ' horn hey offered them; for be.Gdes Bea
ft ,
and
. rults,. an
om, the facnficed
~en
and
\iV
omen
f
all ages, "' hich they had
aken m the
ar: And fome
auon of he{( exceeded
fo
far in their inhuma·
·t\-
ha t
ey
offered
aot
o
ely
their nemies, bur on fome occalions their ery
Children