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BooK
\ii[.
Royal
Com1nentaries.
CH AP.
v.
,,,.
l
:
Of
the
Third
Feflival, dedicated to the
Sun.
..
;
T
HE
JncM
celebrated four Fell:ivals every Year
in
their Court; the principal
and moft folemn was the Feafi of the Sun, called
.&ymi,
of which we have
formerly given a relation at large. The fecond was the Inftitution of the Order
of
Cavaliers,
of which alfo we have already difcourfed. We come now to the
two laft,
\.1\
ith
which \Ve
!hall
end, and conclude all the particulars relating
to
their Fefiivals;
for as
to their other more ordinary Feafts, which were performed
every Moon ; and fuch Feafts as were kept in honour ofVietories and Triumphs,
we fuall not farther enlarge upon , left they fhould feem tedious to the Reader,
onely we
!hall fay in
general, That thefe Feafis were held
in
the Temple of the
Sun without Proceffions into
the
open and publick Elaces. And fo we proceed
to
the third Fefiival., which they
call
Cufquieraymi,
which
they celebrated about
the
tiine
that their Seed and Mayz was fprung u_p, and firft appeared ou
of
the
ground ; then they facrificed to the Sun many Lambs, barren E es, and male
Sheep, praying to him that he would be
p
eafed not to fuffer the Frofi to dell:roy
their Wheat; by reafon that the Vallies of
Couo,
and
Sacfahuana,
and the Coun–
tries thereabout, are fubjeet to mighty Frofts, as are likewife all other parts under
the fame Climate, which
is
fo
ery cold, that it freezes there almofi the whole year,
and more particularly at our Mi fummer, which is the depth of their Winter, at
which
time the Nights are commonly clear, but very <harp
~nd
freezing;
which
fo foon as the
Indians
obferve, they put fire to their Dunghills, to make a finoke
and. a fmother, being of opinion that the ground under that thick covert gains
fome warmth; and thereby the !harp keenneiS of the roft
is
much abated.
I re–
member to have feen this
in
Couo;
.
but did not much examine, whether it did
any good or not; for being then aYonth, I was not
fo
inguifitive into the caufes
and effetts of things, as I ' as into the matter which was done.
And now confidering that the
Mayz
was a fort of grane, which was the chief
nutriment of the
Indians,
and which was moft damaged by the Frofis, they there–
fore, to divert that Judgment offered to the Sun many acrifices ,
with
Dances
and Drink-offerings, fupplicating him that he
~
ould be pleafed to furoud their
Plantations frotn the damage of the Frofts. The Flefh of the Beafis
flain
at thefe
Sacrifices was dill:ributed amongft thofe people who came to the Fefiival; for
befides the Lamb which was offered, and entirely burnt to the Sun, together
with
the Bloud and Entrails of
all
the other Beafis
5
the Fle!h was dillributed amongll
the people) after the
manner ufed
at
the
Feaft of
Raymi•
'I
L 1
CH AP.
/