188 / 1070
Royal
Commentariet.
BooK
v:
fhould millake any thing of giving ic.the due form
~
it
is reported, ~hat the
Inca
himfelf did oftencimes fit, and fhew h1mfelf to them m the fame hab1t and figure,
in
which, he faid, the Apparition prefenced it felf: Nor would he permit, that
the Image ofthe God
Piracocha
fhould be un~e07alu~d by any fo~, or o
thei: íhape
chan chac of aKing, fuch eíl:eem and (uperfimon d1d they conce1ve of
che.irIdol
G~
.This Scatue did fomeching refemble the Images we make of our Bleffed Apo-
ftles1 párticularly that of Se.
Bartho!omew,
whom they paint with the Devil at his
feet, as chey did chis Figure of
Viracocha,
with fome unknown Beafi rnuching be–
neath him. The
SpaniardJ
obferving chis Temple, and che form and fafhion of
chis Statue, will have ir, chat che Apofile St.
Bartho!ome¡:p
carne as far as
Peru
to
Preach the Gofpel to thefe Gentiles, and thac
in
Honour and Memory of him
che
lndianJ
had ereél:ed chis Temple and lrnage. And. fuch as~were Natives
of
Co:t-co,
and of che Mongrel breed between
Spanijh
and
l ndian
Bloud, have for a–
bove thirty years pafi Affociated chemfelves imo iFracernity, orCorµrnunity, in–
to which they would noc fuffer any
Spaniard
to enter. Thefe upon their Solemn
days are ac great Expences, caking St.
Bartholomew
fot
their Apofile, and in defpighc
of all comradiél:ion, they will have it, thac he carne and preached in
Pbu ,
and
for thac reafon will own no other chan hirn for cheir Patron; which feemerh a ri–
diculous fancy
to
forne
Spaniards
1
who laughing at che bravery and fine Veíl:ments
they produce on chac day, tell thern, that chis Fefüval and Proceffion is noc deíign–
ed in Honout of the Apoílle, bue of che
Inca Viracocha.
Bue why che
Inca Viracocha
fhould build chis Temple in
Cacha,
rather chan in
Chita,
wbere the Spirit appeared to him, or in
Yahuarpampa,
wher~ crye Viél:ory
was fought ; the
Indiam
cannoc well affign any more probable and 1uíl reafon for
it,
than che free will and pleafüre of rhe
Inca,
unlefs ir were fome fecr~t and hid–
den caufe, noc revealed or made known to any. This Temple being of fuch an
odd and ílrange Model, as we have declared
1
was dernolifhed by che
Spnni,1rds,
as
many other íl:ately Fabricks in
Peru
have been defiroyed by rhem ; which in my
opinioo ought racher to have been conferved and ·kepc in good repair, rhac Ages
ro come mighc fee and know che Grandeur and Valour of cheir Anceíl:ours, who
~\ere able by cheir good forcune and conduél: ro fubdue a Nation whicb was capa-
;
to ereét fuch Buildiogs and Monumencs of their Are and Wifedom ; búr per–
h
ps
envy or fcorn of chac people mighc have moved che
Spaniards
to deílroy their
orks, nut allowing rhem che Honour to be maincained in repair; and indeed
rl1e Dilapidarion harh been fo greac', rhar fcarce one Stone remains on
4
nocher;
~he which deíl:ruél:ion, Men of Curiofiry; and Lovers of Amiquiry, do rnuch
fa–
~111enc.
Bue the reafon which they give tor ic is, thac they could not be perfua.
lle~, bue chac much
'f
reafure lay buried imder che Foundation of chofe Buildings,
whJCh could not be d1fcovered, bue by a total {ubverlion of che Fabrick. The firíl:
ching demolifhed in chis Temple was·the Statue, they having an opinion, chat
muen Gold was buried under che Pedefial on which ic was ereél:ed : ocher parts of
the Temple they digged up, fornetilliles in one place, and then in another, unci!l
ac length chey defaced, or deíl:royed rh~ whole Pile and Mafs of Building : How–
foever, che irnage ofStone is ílill in being unto chis day, chough much broken and
baccered by che Scones, which chey threw ac
ir.
C -H A P.
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