236 / 1060
Royal
Commentarie;.
Boo VI.
uch as had a great efieem and veneration
f<
r that owl
1
hich
they
call
Cuntur.
fc
as
to fanfie the
riginal
of
their
firfi: Par m
to
b defce ded from it, appeared
in
fafhion
of Angel , with
the
ings of that Bird, which they
fay
ar
fo
large
.
that fome of them being killed by the
pani,ird1,
have rneafured fourteen or
fiftee~
oot from the point of one pinion to the other.
rhers appeared in antick hapes, ' 'ith horrid
izard , and thefe \: ere
T1mca
1
"ho, to make themfel
es
the more ridicul
u ,
nrred
ith
rimaces,
making
mouths, and turning themfel
inc a
th
fa
fanra ical
gefiures
1
like
ols,
or
Madmen;
carrying
infuumen
in
the·
h
nd
agre able to their pofiure ,
fuch
as
lutes, and ill-tuned
ymb
1,
' ·ith
ut
ufi
k or Harmony,
which
ferved
to
make up their
ild Mafquer
de.
The
CHracas,
according t their qualities, carried the
nfigns of
their refpective
Countries; ome bore die
eapons which they ufed
in
War,
fuch
a
Bow
and
Arrows, other Launce;, and Dart , and
ling , and Pole-axes to be managed
ith
ne hand, and Halbercs which they \\ eilded \ ith bot ;
in
their Colour5 and
En–
figns the ACtions and
tori
of their
alour,
hich they had aeted
in
the ervice
of the un and
Inca
were aimed and defigned :
fo
fhort, every
Curaca
came
be..
habited
in
che
befi:
manner that
he
''as able, and attended with
his
bell: Equipage,
every one endea\Touring to outdoe h.
eighbour or Companion,
in
fomer · g
that
n
as fine and extraordinary.
alling wa
the general preparation and intr duction to the
Rttyms,
or
fiival
of the un,
hi h wa
[o
rigor
u ,
that it continued for the fpace of three days;
during
hi
h time
they
ate noching but a little white Mayz unbaked, with a few
herb called
h11cam,
a"nd drank nothing but ' ater · n fire \ as kind! d in the
whole
City,
during
du
olemn faft, nor wa it
lal
full for ny
n to a compa–
ny
ith
hi Wife. Th
aft
ing en
, u on th
ve or
igil
cher of the
ln–
ca.r,
who \Vere
rieCl:s, and
oimed t
ffi
r the acrifi
'ere m 1
y
din pre–
paring the beep, and
m
, and
rink , '' hich the day follm' ing were to be
offi red
to
the un ; all '' hi h were
rm
i
e a cording
to
the number
f
the
pe ..
ple '\ hkh came to che
fH
al, in regard, that not on
ly
the
C11rac11s,
and their
Deputi
but ·th common
eo 1 , and their er ant , ''ere to ar · ke of the
Benefit and Blelfmgs
f
chefe a rific
.
The
irgins,
r
i
of the un, ' ere employed on the Eve. in kneading
great quantitie of
ugh, made of
ayz,' hich they call
Canco
\~hich
they fafhio–
ned inco round
akes a out the bign f5
four Appl
.
or it · obfervabJe, that
the
Indians
ne er eat their
ayz kneaded into Bre d, but at chis Feafr; and at the
other which
they
call
Cit11a;
nor
th
y
eat thi Bread at their Meal, but one–
ly
two or three mouthfull at the beginning; for that \ hich
they
ordinarily ufe
for Bread
is
Cara,
which th
y
ither arch, or
boil
before they eat it.
The
lower ofth·
£(
rt
of read
\"\!
ich the
Inca
and thofc of the Royal
Family
did eat, was grinded, and knead d
by
the felet
irgins, ' ho
v
er
i e of the
un and wh
like\' ife dreffi d all the other
Hhe which were provided for this
efii al; fo that the
un rather feemed to ntertain
his
amily, th n hi Chil–
dren to efl:ow a
reat or anquet upon him
:
But as to the common fort,
great
numbers of other
omen were
t
at work to make Bread , and dreG
ietuals
for hem; in making chi
mmon Bread gr at are ''
taken to lave
it
of
the befl
Im' r, and u h a wa
ure, and without mi ture, being efieemed
facred, and fuch a \\a. n
t
t
eaten, but one1y at
this
{ti
al,
n
hich was
the rincip 1of all th ir eaft
CHAP.