113 / 1070
/
.
BooK
III.
Royal Commentaries.
In
che adoroment oí which Temples che
Curac,u
contended, according co chat
abundance which cheir Countries produced of Gold and Silver, and herein chey
were very
zealoos,
that fo chey mi_ght boch honour their God, and fl:mer cheir
Prince; by
w~
meaos ali che ocher Temples were plated wirh Gold and Sil–
ver, and mighr fiand in fome competition and terms of cornparifon wirh chat of
Couo.
The nearell Kindred or Relations to che
Curaca&
were made che Priells ofchofe
Tem¡,les which were in the Provinces, though che Chief Priell, or Superintendenc
over them was an
Inca
ofche Bloud Rc_>yal, becaufe ic was neceílary thac he íhould
direél:
rhe manner and order of cheir Sacrifices, afcer che ufe and cufiome of
c~o;
for
in
regard they were now to abhor and rejeét cheir Sacrifices of Men, and
Vv
o–
men, and Children, and were forbidden ro eac Man's Flefh, and many ocher bar–
barous Rices of abomination and fuperfücion; ic was neceífary for them co have
the fuperiour guidance
of
an
Inca,
leíl: they íhould forget che true way, and re–
lapfe back again into their Í0rmer cuíl:omes. This Superincendency which tbe
JncM
exei;ciíed was very acceptable to the
Jndian1,
for as chey eíl:eemed rnuch of
rheir managernent both of civil and marcial Affairs;
fo
likewi[e they believed
rhac chey haci motl: need of their direétion
in
religious Woríhip, from whom all
che knowledge thereof was defcended to them. And chus rnuch íhali fuffice to
have touched coacerning che riches of that Temple; other i:natters ofwhich rnay
he
properly relaced in their due places.
.
CH
A
P.
XXV.
Of
the
famous
Temple
ofTiticaca,
and oj- the Fahles and
A!legori~! alluding to
it.
A
Mongfi che many famous Temples, which were dedicated to che Sun in
Pm,,
and whicm in Om.ament and Riches might compare with that of
Couo;
thac
in the lile of
Títicaca
was of chief Fame and Reoown. The word
Titicaca
fignifies
the
Foreíl: of Lead, being compounded of
Titi,
which
is
lead, and
Caca,
which
is a Foreft,
the
Lake in which chis Iíland
is
fituated , hach taken the farne name,
being abouc cwo Mufquet íhot from che main Land, :md is about five or fix chou·
fand pJces in compafs, where
the
Inca1
reported, chat the Sun cheir Father
firíl:
placed bis two Children, che Man and Woman, whom he fent into che World
to
converc Mankind ,from tbe Errour of their ways, and co ceach and infiruét
tbem che Rules of rigbt Reafon and Religion. To this Fable chey add many
ochers ofancient date, faying, that che Rays of the Sun, afcer the general Floud,
were fuíl: [een in chat Hland, and in that Lake, before chey appeared in any other
place; and that chis Lake is fevency or eighty fatbom deep in fome places, and
about eigbcy Leagues
in
compafs; tbe.r~fon they give for not being navigable, or
why Boats cannor go upon
it,
l can fay little unto, onely
Bhu
P1J!e~"fl
writes, tbac
tbere is fuch quantiries ofthe
Magnet,
or Load-ílone in all pares of ir, that hinder
che Navigation, or ure of che Compafs.
·
By
help of chis Fable, and his own Ingenuity, the
firíl:
Inca, Manco Ca¡ac,
rook
the advancage to perfuade che
/ndian1,
that he and his Wife were the Children of
che Sun, and tbat they were placed
il1
it by their father, chat from thence rhey
mighc proceed inco the World, ro teach aod iofuuét it in the way of true Reli–
gion, as we have at large rehted in che beginning of chis Hifiory. The
Inca.,
who were
Amal!JtlJ,
or Philofophers, and wife in che politicks, rnade u[e of both
che[e Fables, and related tbem by way of Prophecy : faying, that when tbe Sun
darted his fi.rft Rays of Light into chat Iíland, he tben gave a fign and prornife,
thac from cbat place che
firft
Doétrines of Light íhould ilfu€; che which promife
vas
95