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BooK
111.
Royal Commentaries.
CH A P.
XX.
The Defcription of the Temple of the Sun, ancl of its gre'élt
Riches.
T
H
E principal Ido!
in
efl:eem boch wich che
Inca
and his Subjeéts, was che
Imperial Cicy of
Co:,;;co
ic felf, which the
lndi-ans
adored as a facred Relique,
,both beeaufe
it
was founded by the fufl:
Inca, Manco Capac,
and becaufe
it
was
the Repoficory of innumerable Trophies acquired by Viétory, and was che Seac
and Throne of che
Inca.,
who were efl:eemed for Góds. This fuperfütion ap..'.
peared in every lictle infl:ance ; for in cafe two
Indians
of equal _qualicy did bue
meec on che way, one coming from
Co:,;;co,
and the other travelling thicher; he
that carne from thence, gave always che
firíl:
falucation, and che upper hand to
him who was going chicher; and if he, who had been at chis City, wa~ ever af–
ter
efl:eemed by his Neighbours as a Pilgrim or a Holy Man, how much more
was he to
be
reverenced, who was a Citizen, or Native of the place : And in
purfuance of chis humour and opinion, whatfoever was faid
to
come from
Co,:,co,
though it were bue .Lentils or Seeds, and did not furpaís others of like kind in
its
Excellency, yet
it
had always che pre-eminence, and was chought an impiety
to think or judge otherwife. To keep up chis fancy and belief in che people, che
Incas
laboured co adorn and enoble che City with many Sumptuous Edifices and
Royal Palaces,
many
_of
which they
builc for cheii.- own ufe, as we íhall hereafrer
declare, wbew-we come
to
defcribe the publick Buildi.hgs,
arnongíl:
which chere
is none comparable to che Temple of che Sun, which was enriched with incre–
dible Wealdi ; co which every
Inca
particularly added fometl-\ing, and improved
and perfeéted that which bis Predeceífour had lefc deficienr. The Rich@s of that
Temple were
fo
immenfe, that I íh
ould not adventure to defcribe them, did I
not find them mentioned in all the
Spani.fhHifl:ories of
Peru;
but neither whac
they have wroté, nor I delivered, are able
to
reach the vaíl:nefs ofthat real Wealth.
The Building of chis Temple is eíl:eemed the Work of the King
Yupanqui,
th€
Gre~t Gr~ndfarl:fr ?f
Huayna Capac
;
not thac he was th@ Foqnd@r of it, hav_iqg
rece1ved 1ts begrnmng from the
firíl:
Inca ,
but becaufe he completed the Adorn:.
mene of ic, and exalced it to chofe immenfe Riches and Majeíl:y in which th€
Spaniards
found it.
Now to defcribe this Temple; it is to be naced, that that place which was che
Chamber of the Sun, is now the Church of the ·Divine St.
Dominick;
bu~ be–
caufe I have not the exaét meafures of the length and breadth of ic, I omit to
mentían it at gueís ; onely chat how large foever ic be, it is all made of Freeze-
fione we!l polifhed.
.
·
-The High Altar ( which for our better underfl:anding we cal! by that Name,
though che
lndians
knew not how to ereét an Altar) is placed ac che Eaíl:-fide;
che Roof was flat, made of lofcy Timber; but the Covering was thatched with
Straw, becaufe their Are arrived not to make other. Ali che four Walls of the
Temple were Wainfcoaced from che top
to
che bottom, with Panes and Frames
of Wood all over guilded :
In
che upper place, where we fe:ic the High Altar,
was the Figure of the Sun drawn upon a Place ofGold, much broader and thicker
tban the Boards which covered che Walls; chis Figure reprefemed the Face of
the Sun in a round íhape, wich ali his Rays and Emiilions ofFire, and Light pro~
ceeding from him much in che fame manner as our Painrers draw hirn
!
The Fi–
gure was
fo
great and large, that ic cook up ali che Qiarcer of the Temple, frorn
one WaU to another: Befides chis
1
Reprefentation of che Sun, the
Jndians
ereéted
no other Idols in cheir Temples, becaufe they did not acknowledge, nor adore
any