His Account of the Roads and Bridges. 555

Ch. 5.

Christendom such beautiful ways, the greater B. XVI. part being causeway." He speaks of the bridges, some of which on a certain great river were made of rope; and at each passage of the river there were two bridges, one for the common

people and the other for the Inca and the chiefs. Moreover, it appeared that the Peruvians had arrived at that point of civilization denoted by the existence of tolls, which were collected

B. XVI. at these bridges. Fernando Pizarro was everyCh. 5. where well received with dances and festivals;

nor did the Peruvians fail to supply him with what was requisite for his journey, bringing llamas, maize, chicha (a kind of intoxicating drink made from maize), and fire-wood. He noticed that account was kept of the delivery of the provisions by removing the knots in the quippus, or making them in another place. He confirms the general remark, which has been made before, of the superior civilization of the inhabitants of the Sierras as compared with that of the men in the plains.

Much has been said about Peruvian sacrifices; and it has been decided that they were, occasionally, human sacrifices; it is but just, therefore, to note what Fernando Pizarro says in reference to this subject when speaking of the abodes of those virgins who were dedicated to Houses of the worship of the Sun. "Some of these houses of the Sun, are for the worship of the Sun, others for that of Cusco the Ancient, father of Atabaliva; the sacrifice which they make is of llamas, and they prepare chicha to pour upon the earth."*

the Virgin

I cannot but think it will be found that the original worship of the Peruvians, or at least their worship at its best, was devoid of human sacrifices, although in places distant from the centres of civilization, Cusco and Pachacamác,

* "Estas casas son unas para el sacrificio del Sol, otras del Cuzco Viejo, padre de Atabaliva; el sacrificio que hacen es de

|

para

ovejas, é hacen chicha verter por el suelo."-Carta de FERN. PIZARRO in QUINTANA, Apend. á la Vida de F. Pizarro, p. 183.

709

7

Fernando's Account of Pachacamác.

557

and in times long subsequent to those of the first B. XVI.
Incas, when their rule may have become less Ch. 5.
beneficent and more despotic, human sacrifices Peruvian
were made on certain occasions connected with
family events in the great families, and perhaps
periodically in the remote districts.

On Sunday, the 30th of January, after travers-
ing for some miles a country abounding in groves

sacrifices.

and populous villages, Fernando Pizarro reached
Pachacamác, where he was well received by the
inhabitants. It is interesting to read the account
given by the first man from the Old World-a man
too of great intelligence-who saw the celebrated
temple and city of Pachacamác. He found that
the Indians did not like to speak of this temple
("mosque" he calls it), so deep was their reverence

B. XVI. for it; and that the whole of the surrounding Ch. 5. territory paid tribute, not to the monarch at

Pachacamác.

Cusco, but to the temple. The town was very large, and contained great buildings; but, as the Veedór mentions, it seemed to be a very ancient town, with much of it in ruins.* This statement is important, as it tends to confirm the story of the ancientness of the religion of Pachacamác. The temple itself was also large, with ample courts and extensive precincts. In a great court outside the temple were the houses of the sacred virgins, who made the same sacrifices as in other places. No man might enter the first court of the Temple of temple without having fasted twenty days, and to gain admission to a higher court it was necessary to fast for a whole year. In this court the " bishop" of the temple, in a sitting posture, and with his head covered, received the messengers from the Caciques, when they had completed the year's fast. There were other ministers of the temple who were called "Pages of God." The messengers declared their wants to the Bishop; then these pages of the idol (Fernando Pizarro calls him "the Devil") went into an inner chamber, where they professed to commune with their deity, who sent back word through them, announcing whether he was angry with the Caciques, and what sacrifices they ought to make, and what presents they ought to bring him. Fernando Pizarro was a little beyond his age, and

El Pueblo parece ser antiguo, por los edificios caídos, que en el ai lo mas de la cerca está caido."-See Report of Miguel Estete, quoted in XEREZ, Barcia, tom. 3, p. 209.

Fernando's Sermon in the Temple.

559

Ch. 5.

was accordingly less credulous. "I believe," he B. XVI. says, "that they do not talk with the Devil, but that those servitors of the priest deceive the Caciques, for I endeavoured to find this out; and, as there was an old servitor, who, a Cacique informed me, had said that the Devil told him that the Caciques should have no fear of our horses, for they only caused terror, and did no harm, I had this servitor tortured, and he remained so firm in his evil creed, that nothing more could be got from him than that he really believed the idol to be a god."

Pizarro

Fernando Pizarro entered the temple, which he found to be very dark and very dirty. In Fernando order to free the Caciques from their fears, he enters the bade them come and see him enter the sacred tempie. place, and then, "as there was no preacher, I made them my sermon," he says, "telling them of the delusion in which they lived."

The sermons of conquerors are generally weighty with bold assertion, producing awe and silence, if not conviction. The presence of a Pizarro in the inmost recesses of that sacred fane was of itself the sternest blow to all that was idolatrous in the ancient religion of Peru.

While Fernando Pizarro was at Pachacamác, he heard that Atahuallpa's principal captain was at a town twenty leagues distant, called Xauxa. The name of this Chief was Chilicuchima. Fernando Pizarro put himself into communication with the Peruvian General, and, after much hesitation on brings his part, succeeded in persuading him to return chima to with him to Cassamarca, which they reached marca.

Fernando

Pizarro

Chilicu

Cassa