Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-12-26
by everything that could contribute t,

never by ray from the sun or moon o.
the glimmer OF star, was their only pun
| ishment Clavigero thinks that the Mexi
cans placed this hell in the center of the
earth and it may have been but type O.
utter annihi,ation. The ancient Aztecs haG
SOME IDEA OF SUPREME GOD,
Whom they feared and adored, yet repre-
scented by no external form, because they
believed him to be invisible He is gener.
ally spoken of as Teotl "God,") but wa:
known also by the name of Ipalnemoansi
He by whom we live" and, Tloque Ma.
huaque: He who has all in himself
They had also an evil spirit inimical tc
mankind, called Tlalca;ecolototl, the Ra.
tional Owl" This spirit was said to APP
pear frequently to men to terrify and in
jure them. But there is no distinct history
of this wicked power. After the Supreme
invisible Being there were thirteen Others
worshiped in Mexico as principal gods.
besides innumerable lesser divinities. There
was Tetzcatlipoca, the Shining Mirror" OF
god of special providence, the soul of the
world, the creator of heaven and earth. and
master of all things Ometenctli and One.
cihuatl a god and goddess who granted the
prayers of mortals, and appear TO have pre-
sided over newborn children; Cihanco-
huatl, or woman serpent (also called
Touacacihua, woman of our flesh y. who
was held TO be the mother of the human
race, and was yenerated next to Omete-
nell Tonatiah and Meztli, the Sun and
Moon deitied; Queizalecatl, or god of the
air; Tlaloc, god of waters, fertilizer of the
soil and protector of temporal goods, whose
image was painted blue and green to repre-
sent the hues OF water, and in whose hand
was an undulating rod to signify his control
CT inh
master of the year and grass" the god { f
fire, to whom an oblation of the frs
morsel and the first draught at dinner was
always given, and before whose altar burned
the sacred fire from which the extinguished
fires in the dwellings were rekindled at
the close of his festivals; Centeotl, " god
dess of earth and moon,n the Mexican
Ceres, also known by another word signi-
flying b" she supports US - Mictlanteuctli,
god of hell, and his female companion. to
whom sacrifices were always made at
night, and whose priests were clad in black /;
Joaltcuctli god of night, the divinity who
gave sleep to children and his consort,
Joalticetl, the 90 idess of cradles who
watched over infants in the darkness; and
their chief protector most hOnored BY the
Aztecs-the Mexican Mars or terrible war
god, Huitzilipotchtli. This was the mighty
power who according to their traditions,
became the protector of the race, conducted
them through the years of their pilgrimage
from the unknown Attain, and finally set
tied them safely on the spot where they
founded the great City of Mexico. To him
they raised that superb temple, the terri
BILE Teccalli, which the SpaniardS destroy
ed, and which Prescott tells us was COM
pleted by the father of Montezuma H..
King Ahuitzotl, and consecrated by the
blood of
SIXTY THOUSAND HUMAN VICTIMS
Whose living hearts were torn out and
Offered to the god. His stature was of
gigantic size, in the posture of man seated
ON a blue bench, from the four corners of
which issued enormous snakes. His fore
head was blue over his face and the back
of his head he wore golden masks, and his
crest was shaped like the beak of bird.
On his neck was a collar of ten human
hearts. In his right hand he bore club,
huge and twisted in his left a shield, on
which appeared five balls of feathers dis
posed in the form of cross, while from
the upper part arose a golden flag with
four arrows, which the Mexicans believe
We're sent from heaven with which to per-
form his glorious victories. His body was
grit with an enormous golden snake, and
adorned with various lesser figures of ami
mails made of gold, silver and precious
stones. When war was contemplated this
god was implored for protection, and to
him was offered greater number of human
sacrifices than to any other de.t,. Two
days before his annual festival an idol
represen ing him was made by the Sacred
Virgins, of grains of parched corn and
seeds of beets mixed with honey and the
blood of children. This they clothed with
a splendid dress and seated on litter and
on the morning of the festal day the figure
was borne in solemn procession around the
streets of the City of Mexico, and then
pared 4 great quantity of the same
paste of seeds and babies blood
from which the priests also made an
idol, called The flesh and bones OF
Huitzilopotchtli." After certain ceremoni-
ais, the image was sacrificed exactly as were
human beings at other times, and the body
was broken into small bits, which were dis.
tributed among the people. who received
them with tears, fear and reverence, and ate
them, as if they were the flesh and bones OF
the god himself; and those who had sick
folks at home carried them some of the sa-
cred pieces with great devotion. This ex-
traordinary ceremonial was no coinage OF
the early Spanish priests, but is spoken OF
by the Indian historian as communion
which the devil himself, the prince of
pride, ordained in Mexico, to counterfeit
the Holy Sacrament, centuries before the
Christian religion had been heard of"
SOME ANCIENT TRADITIONS.
Of these burial pyramids of San Juan
Teotihuacan (the Westminster Abbey OF
the Toltecs) there are many curious tradi-
tions. Space forbids the recital of but one