278 / 1070
Royal
Commentaries.
BooK_VR
CH A
·P.
VI.
Of
the F0urth Fefiival, and their preparations to it
by
Fa~
fii11gs,
and
cleanji.ngthemfelves.
J1i·
.T •
T
. ..
HE fourth an~ i 1timate Feaft cele~rated i!'l. the ~ourt of _che
incM
w_as_caI–
led
Citu,
wb1Ch was performed with great
JOY,
m
regard 1c was by wáy of
'Th~nkfgiving, -~hen fickne[s and difeafes, or any other Judgments were rern.o:ved
from che City; and refembled the ancient Lufüations, or Purifications, after the
foulnefs and tontagion of dillempers was removed. The preparation
to
this Fea[l:
was made by Fafüngs, and forbearing the company of their Wives ; being held
·on the
firfr
dai, of the Mooh, after the Equínoétial in the Month of
September,
they obferved cwo forts of Fafis, one more rigorous than the other; the
moa
fe–
'vere was kept by ~ating a fmáll quantity ofraw Mayz, ánd drinkingWater, which
was not to continue above three days ·; chofe that obferved che orher, \\ere per–
mitted to eat their Mayz parched togecher wich raw Herbs and Roots, fuch as
Lettice, and Radiíhes,
&c.
as alfo Red Pepper, which they call
Vchu,
and Salt,
and to drink their ufüal liquour, bue Flefh, and Fifh, and boiled Herbs were for–
bidden; during which Faíl: called
Caci,
they mighc eac but once a day, and their
moíl: fev€re Faíl: vvas called
Hatun-caci.
·
. Men and
"{
ornen
in
general having made chis preparation, and their Childrén
alío obliged to one day after the fevere manner, they kneaded their Bread called
Cancu,
which on che Evening of che Vigil they made up in Balls, and put them
meo a dry pot wjthout liquour to bake, for as yet they knew not che ufe of
0-
'vens ; and being,\1alf baked, they took them out. They made two forcs
of
Bread, one fort chey rnoifined with che bloud of Children, from five to ten ye?rs
of Age, which chey drew from che veins of their Armes, or between their Eye–
brows or Nofes; in füch manner as when chey !et bloud on occafion of diftem–
pers.
I
have feen them make both forts of Bread ; when chey rnade that which
w~s rnixed with bloud, they firfl: affembled togecher according to cheir refpefüve
Lineages, at
¡i
certain place, from whence they went to the Houfeofche Elder Bro–
ther, chere to perform this ceremony; and in cafe they had no Bro_ther, then it
was
done at the Houfe of che ·neareíl: relation, who was Head of
che
family.
In
rhe night, when chisBread was m:ide, fome hoursbefare day, all chofe who
had
chus
prepared rhemfelves hy fafüng, aroíe from their beds, and wafhed cheir
boqies; and then taking a lump of chis ill-baked Bread mixed wich bloud, they
applied 'it
to
their head, mouch, breaíl:, íhoulders, armes and legs, as if they had
purified themfelves with 1r, and deanfed their bodies of all infirmities.
This
be–
ing
done, che Maíler of che family, who was chief of the Lir'teage, affixed fome
of this paíl:e on che limeis of the door next the ílreet ; in token, that chofe of
rhar Houíe had perfonned the ceremony of Purification. The like ceremony the
High Priefl folemnized in che Houíe and Temple of the Sun, enjoyning che o·
ther Prieíls to perform che like in che Houíe of the
Wives
dedicaced to che Sun,
and in
Huanacauri,
,which was a Temple about a League dillant from che
City,
being a pbce highly eíleemed, and held in greac devorion by chem , becaufe that
/i-1.anco Capac
made a fhort abode there, when he firíl came to che Cicy of
Co:,;,co,
as we have formerly related. On rhe like er.rant they fent other Prieíls to ali pla–
ces, which were accounced hallowed and facred , fuch as chofe, where che Devil
ípoke to chem, and made himfelf to
be
adored as God.
In
che King'sCourt the
ceremony was performed by che Eldefl: Uncle of che King wl)o
was
to be an
Inca
of legitirnate defcent.
'
So foon as the Sun arofe, having performed their Aéls of Adoration cowards
him, they prayed unto him, that he would vouchfafe to deliver their City from
· oucward calamiti~s, and inward di(eafes; and t.hen they broke rheir faíl: by eatin$
of thac Bread wh1ch was made withouc bloud. Having chus eacen cheir Bread,
and