Their High Feasts.
The high Feast Capacrayne, which the Peruvians kept in the first Moneth Rayme, agreeing with our December, deserves serious observation: for as long as the Feast lasted, no Stranger was suffer’d to Lodge in Cusco, whither they all flock’d again after the Feast was over, to receive Cakes made by the Mamaconas (an Order of Nuns) of Maiz and the warm Blood of a white Ram, and were distributed by certain Priests (Extracted from the Royal Family Iluqui Yupangui) who carrying them up and down in Golden Dishes, gave every one of a Company one, saying at the delivery of it, If you do not Reverence the Sun and Inga, this Food will witness against you to your Ruine; but if you worship them, then their Bodies will by this Pledge be united to yours: after which those that had eaten of the Cakes promis’d Obedience, and thank’d the Sun and Inga for their Food.
Their Manner of Confessions.
Their Penances.
The Esteem of their Soothsayers.
At the fore-mention’d Chasquis a course was taken to carry all that desir’d, to every Temple through the whole Kingdom of Peru, where the Inhabitants receiv’d them with great Reverence, having before confess’d all their sins to their Yaburies, or Father-Confessors, who being chosen to that Office with a great deal of Ceremony, impos’d greater or lesser Penances, according to the sins of the Penitent: those that were suspected to have conceal’d any of their sins, were put to cast Lots, or had the Entrails of the Beasts which they had kill’d to that purpose consulted about them, and thereby were discover’d if they had conceal’d any of their sins; which whenever it hapned, the Priests falling upon the false Penitents, thump’d them with a Stone on their Backs so long, till they had confess’d all their Faults, which the Priest was not to reveal on pain of Death, but to make Expiatory Offerings. The sins about which they were Examin’d, were chiefly Theft, Murder, Adultery, preparing of Poyson, or sleighting their Inga or Gods; for each of which Transgressions they had several kinds of Punishments. When the Inga fell sick, all People in general were forc’d to come and make Confession of their sins; also every one went to his Confessor when he was in trouble, or expected some Misfortune to befall him: The Inga himself Confess’d his sins to none but the Sun, which he desir’d to relate to Viracocha, and to beg pardon of him for the same; which done, he bath’d himself in a running Stream, and cry’d, I have made my sins known to thee, O Sun; do thou, O River, wash away mine Iniquities, and discharge them into the Sea, that they may never be more laid to my charge: which custom of Bathing, call’d Opacuna, was also us’d by all other Penitents. A Father losing his Son by Death, was censur’d for a great Sinner, wherefore he could not be permitted to be Confess’d before he had been whipp’d with Nettles by a certain ill-look’d Officer appointed for that end; after which their Fathers Ychuris enjoyn’d such Penances as they thought fit; some were order’d to last several days; others to pay rich Garments, Silver, Gold, or the like; others receiv’d a certain number of Blows; some were condemn’d to live on the Mountains, excluded from the society of all Men. If their Sorcerers at any time foretold a Fathers Death, then he immediately Sacrifis’d his Son, that with his Death he might buy his own Life. No People were more respected than their Soothsayers, as Men that could discover private Thefts, Accidents that hapned in remote Countreys, and also future Events, and so far their Credit amongst the Vulgar carried them, that they undertook to tell the Spaniards when their Countrey-men should be Conquerors, and when defeated in the War they maintain’d against the Netherlanders. There were also cunning Women, who making themselves dead Drunk with Chica, with which they mix’d the Herb Viloa, and afterwards coming to themselves again, answer’d all the Questions that were proposed to them.
Their monthly Feasts.
The Peruvians kept two sorts of Feasts, the first at certain times, the others on special occasions; the set-Feasts were kept Monethly; on the first Moneth Rayme, agreeing with our last Moneth December, as aforesaid, they kept the great Feast Capacrayme, on which they brought Multitudes of Sheep and Lambs for Burnt-offerings, besides Silver and Gold. Not far from the Fire stood three Carv’d Images of the Sun, and three others representing Thunder; and this was generally the Day of the Installation of the young Inga’s, which was after this manner: The chief Priest boring a Hole through his Ear, cover’d the upper part of his Body with the holy Cloth Guaras, whilest the inferior Priests whipt him with knotted Cords, and painted his Face with the Blood. During these Ceremonies no Stranger was suffer’d to remain in Cusco, but after the Feast was ended they all return’d, and as before, receiv’d Cakes bak’d of Maiz and Blood, as a testimony that they lov’d and honor’d the Inga.
