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100 Royal Com'l:rutn.Mries. BooK IV..
chey were feleéted apart and chofen with refpeét to their lineage,and beauty; and
that for aífurance, that they were Virgins at the time of fuch admiffion into the
. Monaíl:ery, they were received into that Order at eighc years of age, or under.
And becaufe rhefe Virgins who belonged to the M;onaíl¡ery at Co:tco were,,Cilecli,.
catecli ati<lltc!Si ic weve eÍf)ctmfed n0, n!ne,Sm'l,,, 1t was e~eemi:d lil(,<1~:¡.. ~har,tbey
fi1 0trTd be of Ihi~l.ineage·at1d Bfüu¡d,, cll.tac is, DalilgQ_ters-of tllie Jnc~i/ 'o~oifíhis Un–
eles and fuch who were defcended by Father and Mocher of che fame-Lineage
anci' not Baíl:ardized by mixture of humane bloud wich divine race, bue pure and
unfpocced ; for lince che~ opinion was, t~ac they were efpoufed unto che Sun, and
thac he was to have Ch1ldren by them, cwas reafon chat chey fhould be withouc
fpoc or blerniíh, and their bloud pure and undefiled:
Thefe Monks, or Nuns, were commonly about ~ 500 in Number, governed
by grave Macrons, á'dmitted to che fame pr0feffion , who ha4 h'fed and grown
old under che 'famei rules and obfervance 0f cheir Vow : To thefe wern properly
committed the care and government of che younger fort, and from chis Office
they took che Name of M amacuna, or Mother of che Maids, che word .Mama fig–
nifying a Mocher ; aná Cuna in cornpofüion, care or wacchfutnefs. W:ich chis
Title cheir Offices were very agreeable, for forne were Abbeífes, ochers Miíl:reífes
to iníl:ruét che Novitiates, not onely in their Religious Worfhips, but likewife in
Spinning, Weaving, Sowing, and the like employments; fome alfo were Por–
cers belonging toche Gaces, others took care of che Hufwifery, and Managemenc,
of che domefück affairs, and to make a provifion of Neceffa.ries, wich which rhey
were fufficiencly fupplied out of the Eíl:ace of the Sun ; for chey being his Wives,
could oot 6€ denied a maimena.oce out of his Revei1ue.
CH A ·P. II.
•
Of the Rules,an9J Statutes, and Employment of thefe Seleél
Virgins.
T Hey were Reclufes, and for evér ílmt up, during the whole term of their
lives, and obliged to perpetua! Virginity; chey had no Locutory, or place
allowed chem at which chey might fee or converfe wich Man or Woman ; nor
had they other fociety chan one wich anorher ; for chey held, that rhe Wives of
che Sun were to have no c0mmunication wich ocher, than wich bimfelf ; and chis
thejr Seclufion was fo ílriét and rigorous, rhat rhough che Inca rnighc perfonally
have claimed this privilege•, yet becaufe no other fhould dare or adventure on
chis attempt by his exampJe, he alfo denied himfelf chis libercy ; onely the Coya,
or °º-een, wich her Daughcers, had che freedom to enter in, and vifit this Mo–
naílery ; and by chem che Inca prefeme,d his Salutes, demanding of their healch,
and what their occafionsand neceílicies required. I once faw chisHoufe ílanding
~lone, wirhout any other Building before te ; for onely chac, and the Temple of
che Sun, which made up cwo Screecs, and four ocher greac Courrs, which had
been che Palaces of their Kings, remained entire ; having been [pared by the In-
4ians, out of refpeét to their God che Suri, and che Incas their Kings, when in a
general Infurreétion againíl: che Spaniards chey fet fire, and confumed all the reíl: of
che City. Amongíl: ocher raricies of chis Building, there was a narrow Gallery,
in which cwo uld go a-brea(l:, that ran chrough rhe whole Houfe;
and thiswas che to feveral Chambers and Aparrmems on eacb hand, where
ihe Offices of c were kept, and wbere che Women worked : At every
~:>ne of cbefe Doors was a Porcref~ and in che fartheíl: Chamber, ac che end of ,
the Gallery, was che Aparcment tor che Wives of che Sun, wher-e none encred
beGdes themfelves. This Houfe hacl ics common Gace, which we call the Greac
Gate;