The travels of Pedro de Cieza de Léon; part 2

by Pedro de Cieza de León

The stone appeared to me to be of a dusky or black colour, and most excellent for building purposes. The wall had many openings, and the doorways were very well carved. Round the wall, half way up, there was a band of gold, two palmos wide and four dedos in thickness. The doorways and doors were covered with plates of the same metal. Within there were four houses, not very large, but with walls of the same kind, and covered with plates of gold within and without, as well as the woodwork. The covering was of straw, which served as a roof. Against the wall there were two benches, from which the Sun could be seen when it rose. The stone in front was subtly bored, and the holes were adorned with emeralds and other precious stones. These benches were for the kings, and no one else was allowed to use them on pain of death.

At the doors of these houses porters were stationed to keep guard over the virgins, many of whom were daughters of great lords, the most beautiful and charming that could be found. They remained in the temple until they became old. If one of them had knowledge of a man, they killed her by burying her alive; and the same penalty was suffered by the man. These women were called mama-cunas. Their only occupations were to weave and dye woollen cloth for the service of the temple, and to make chicha, which is the wine they make, of which they always kept large full jars.

In one of these houses, which was the richest, there was the figure of the sun, very large and made of gold, very ingeniously worked, and enriched with many precious stones. This temple also contained some of the figures of the former Incas who had reigned in Cuzco, and also a vast quantity of treasure.

Round the temple there were numerous small dwellings of Indians who were employed in its service; and there was an enclosure where they kept the white lambs, children, and men for sacrifice. They had also a garden, the clods of which were made of pieces of fine gold; and it was artificially sown with golden maize, the stalks, as well as the leaves and cobs, being of that metal. They were so well planted, that even when there was a high wind they were not torn up. Besides all this, they had more than twenty golden sheep with their lambs, and the shepherds with their slings and crooks to watch them, all made of the same metal. There was a great quantity of jars of gold and silver, set with emeralds; vases, pots, and all sorts of utensils, all of fine gold. On other walls were sculptured and painted various notable things; and, in fine, it was one of the richest temples in the world.

The High Priest, called Villac Umu, resided in the temple, and offered up the ordinary sacrifices, accompanied by superstitious rites, with the help of the other priests, according to their custom. At the important festivals the Inca was present at the sacrifices, and there were great rejoicings. Within the enclosure of the temple there were more than thirty granaries of silver in which the maize was stored; and many provinces sent their tribute for the service of the temple. On certain days the devil was seen by the priests, who gave them deceptive answers, in conformity with what might be expected from him.

Many other things might be said of this temple, which I omit because it seems to me that I have said enough to shew what a grand place it was; so I shall not treat further of the silver work, of the chaquira, of the plumes of gold and other things, which, if I wrote down, I should not be believed. That which I have described has been seen, or the greater part, by Christians who are still alive, when it was brought to Caxamarca as a ransom for Atahualpa. But a great deal was hidden by the Indians, and is now buried and lost. Although all the Incas added to the adornment of the temple, in the time of the Inca Yupanqui its riches were increased to such an extent that when he died, and his son Tupac Inca succeeded, it remained in its complete state.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Which treats of the other principal temples, and of their names.

MANY were the temples in this land of Peru, and some were looked upon as very ancient because they were founded before the time of the Incas, as well in the high mountains as in the valleys of the coast. During the reigns of the Incas many other new temples were built, where sacrifices and festivals were celebrated. It would take very long to enumerate each temple in the different provinces, so I have determined only to allude, in this place, to those which were held in most esteem.

Next after the temple of Curicancha, the second huaca of the Incas was the hill of Guanacauri, which is within sight of the city, and was much honoured and frequented. For some say that the brother of the first Inca was turned into stone in that place, at the time when they set out from Pacari Tambo, as was explained at the beginning of this work. In ancient times there was an oracle in this place from which the accursed devil spoke. A great amount of treasure was buried around it; and on certain days they sacrificed men and women, to whom, before they were put to death, the priest addressed a discourse, explaining to them that they were going to serve that god who was being worshipped, there in the glorious place that they, in their ignorance, believed that he inhabited. Those who were to be sacrificed also believed it for certain, and dressed themselves in clothes of fine cloth, with fringes of gold, and bracelets, and with gold lace in their sandals. After they had heard the discourse which those liars of priests addressed to them, they were given much chicha to drink, out of great vases of gold. The sacrifice was celebrated with songs, declaring that such lives were offered up to serve the gods, the victims holding themselves fortunate to receive death in such a place. Having thus celebrated the rites, the victims were strangled by the ministers. A ccepi[143] of gold and a small jar of gold were placed in the hands of each body, and they were buried in tombs around the oracle. These victims were looked upon as canonized saints, for the people believed that, without any doubt, they were in heaven serving their Guanacauri. The women who were sacrificed also came richly dressed in fine cloths and plumes of feathers, with their topus of gold, like spoons, and small breastplates all of gold. And they also, after they had drunk deeply, were strangled and interred, both they and those who killed them believing that they went to serve their demon or Guanacaure. They celebrated these and similar sacrifices with much dancing and singing. This idol was kept where they heard the oracle, with its farms, yanaconas or servants, flocks, virgins, and priests who profited by all the rest.