274 / 1060
Royal Commentaries.
BooK·VIL
CH AP;
VI.
Of the
Fourth Fe/lival, and
their
preparations
to
it
hy
Fa_
flings, and cleanfing
the112felves.
T
H E fourth and ultimate Feafl: celebrated
in
the
ourt of
t11e
IncM
was
cal–
led
Citu,
which was performed with great
joy,
in
regard it was by way
of
Thankfgiving, when ficknefS and dlfeafes, or any other Judgments were removed
from the City, and refembled the ancient Lufirations, or Purifications, after
the
foulnef
and contagion of dillempers was removed. The preparation to this Feall:
"'as made by Failings, and forbearing
the
company of their Wives ; being held
on the fir[l:
da)C
of the Moon, after the EquinoCtial
in
the Month of
September,
·
they obferved two forts of Falls, one more rigorous than the other
7
the moil:
fe.
vere
was
kept by eating a fmall quantity of raw Mayz, and drinkingWater, which
was not to continue above three days; thofe chat obferved the other, were
per–
mitted to eat their Mayz parched together
with
raw Herbs and Roots, fuch as
Lettice, and R.adHhes,
&c.
as alfo Red Pepper, which they call
Vchu,
and Sale,
and
to drink their ufual liquour, but Flefh, and.
ifh,
and boiled Herb were
for–
bidden; during which Fafi called
Caci,
they might eat but once
a
day, and their
mofi fevere
afl: was called
Hatun-caci.
Men and Women
in
general having made
this
preparation, and their Children
alfo
obliged to one day after the fevere manner, they kneaded their Bread
called
Cancu,
which on the Evening of the Vigil they made up
in
Balls, and pm: them
into a dry pot without liquour to bake, for as yet they knew not the ufi
f
0-
ens ; and being half baked, they took them our. They made two ores of
Bread, one fort they moifined
with
the bloud of Children, from five to ten years
of Age,
v.
hich they drew from the veins of their Armes, or between their Eye–
brm s or Nofes ;
in
Cuch manner as when they let bloud on occalion of difiem-
er .
I ha\ie feen them make both forts of Bread; when they made that which
\vas mixed
ith bloud, they
fufi
a!fembled together according to their efpective
ineages, at a certain place, from whence they went to the Houfe of the Elder Bro–
ther, there to perform this ceremony; and
in
cafe they had no Brother, then
it
was
done at the Houfe of the nearefi relation who\ as Head of the family.
In
che night, '
·hen this Bread was made, Come hours before day, all thofe who
had thus
re ared rhemfel es by falling, arofe from their beds, and wafhed their
bodie ; and then taking a lump of this ill-baked Bread mixed with bloud,
they
a plied
it
to their head, mouth, breafi, fhoul ers, armes and legs, as if
they
had
urified ch mfelves ' ith
it,
and cleanfed
their
bodies of all infirmitie . Thi be–
ing
done, the Maller of the family, ' ho was chief of the Lineage, affixed fome
f
this afl:e on the lintels of the door next the fireet; in token, that thofe of
tha Hou[e had erformed the ceremony of Purification. The Jike ceremony the
High Priefi folemnized in the Hou
Ce
and Temple of the Sun , enjoyning the o–
ther Priefis to perform the like
in
the Houfe of the Wives dedicated
to
the Sun,
and in
HHanacauri,
which ' as a Temple about a League dillant from the City,
being a bee highly fieemed, and held in great devotion by them, becanfe thac
'
Manco Capac
made a fhort abode there, when he firfl: came to the City of
Couo,
as '' e have formerly related. On the like errant they fent other
I
riefi
to
11 pla–
ec;, \\ hich ' et e ace unted hallm\fed and facred , fuch as chofe, where the Devil
ipoke
to
thern, and made himfelf
to
be adored as God.
In the
King's
Court the
cerem.ony \ as erformed by the Eldefi: Uncle of the King, who was
t0
be an
Inca
f legitimate defc nt.
o foon as the Sun arofe, having performed their
Acts
of Adoration cowards
him, they prayed unto him, that he would vouchfafe to deliver their City from
out vard alamities, and inward difi afes; and then they broke their
faft
by
eadn~
f
that
read \\ hich was made without bloud. Having thus eaten their
read,
and