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Aztees early in the lilh century, about
200 years before the Conquest. Rare at
first, they became more irequcn, with the
wider extent Of their empire; till at length
almost every festival was closed with this
cruel abomination, These religious cere.
monies were generally arranged in such
manner as 10 Afford type of the most
prominent circumstances in the character
or history of The Deity who was the oh.
jeel of them. 4 slight example will suf.
lice.


One Of the most important festivals was
that in honor Of the god Tozcallipoea,
whose rank was inferior to that Of the Su.
preme Being. lie was called "ihe soul Of
the world" aud supposed to have been It's
creator, lie was depicted as handsome
man. endowed with perpetual youth. A
year before the intended sacrifice, captive,
distinguished for his personal beauty, and
wilhou, a blemish on his body, was Sc.
leeled 10 represen, this deity. Certain
tutors took charge Of him aud instructed
him how TO perform his new part with be.
coming grace and dignity. lilo was ar.
rayed IN splendid dress, RECALLED with
incense aud with a proiusion of sweet.
scented flowers, of which the ancient Mei.
ieans were as fond as their defendants Of
the present day. When he went abroad,
ho was attended by a Tram Of the royal
pages, and as he halted IN the streets TO
play sumo layorile melody. the crowd pros.
rated themselves before hun, aud did him
homage us the representative Of their good
deity. In this way he led an easy. ln,u
IIanl lite, I'LL within month Of bis sacrifice.
IOur beautiful girls, bearing the names Of
the four principal goddesses, were thea
selected To share the honors Of his bed;
and with them he continued 10 live in idle
dalliance, ieasled at the banqueis of the
principal mobiles, who paid him all the hon.
ofs ol deity.


At length the fatal day OF sacrifice ar.
rived. The term of his short lived glories
was at an end. lie was stripped Of his
gaudy apparel, aud bid adeu 10 tho lair
partners OF his reyelrics. One of the royal
barges transported him across tho lake 10
temple which rose on is margin, about a
league from the city. lllher the inhabi.
tants OF the capital 1ockcd to witness. the
contamination Of the ceremony. As the
sad procession wound up the sides Of the
pyramid, the unhappy victim threw away
his gay chap.els Of flowers, aud broke in
pieces tho musical instruments with which
he had solaced The hours Of captivity. On
tho summit he was received by siI priests.
whose long and matted locks flowed dis
orderly over their sable robes, covered
with heroglyphic scrolls Of mystic import.
They led him TO the sacrifcial stone, a
huge block Of Jasper, with lis upper surface
somewha, convex. On this the prisoner
was stretched. Five priests secured bis
head and his limbs, while the sixth, clad
in n scarlet mantle, emblemaiical of his
bloody office. deItorously opened the
breast OF the wretchcd victim with a sharp
razor of h;iii, volcanic substance, hard
as flint, and inserting his hand in the
wound, tore out the papiiating hcarll The
minister Of death, hrs, holding this toward
the sun. an object Of worship throughout
Anahuac, cast Il at the feet OF the deiIy TO
whom the temple was devoted, while the
multiIudes below Frustrated themselves in
humble alteration. The tragic story of
this prisoner was eSpounIed by tho priests
ns the type of human destiny, brilliant in
is commencement, too often closes in sor.
row and Disaster


Such was tho form Of human sacrifice
usually praclised by the Aziccs. 1t was
the same that often met the indignant eyes
Of the Europeans in their progress through
the country, and from the dreadful doom
from which they themsescs were not OK.
cmptcd. There were, indeed, some oc.
casions when preliminary lortures, Of the
most exquisite kind-wilh which it is IN.
necessary TO shock the rcadcr-were in.
ilcted, but they always terminated with
the bloody ceremony before described. II
should be remarked, however, that such
tortufes were not the spontaneous sugges.
lions Of cruelty, as with the North American
Indians but were all vigorously prescribed
in the Azlcc ritual, and doubtless were
often inflicted with the same compuncious
vlsillngs which deyoul familiar OF the
Holy Office might at times experience IN
executing lis stern dccrccs. Women, as
well as the other sex, were sometimes re-
served for sacrifice. On some occasions,
particularly in seasons Of drought, at tho
festival Of the Unsuitable Thaloc, the god
Of rain, children, for the most part infants,
wero offered up. As they were borne
along in open liiIers, drcssed in their leslal
robes, and dccked with the fresh blossoms
Of spring, lhoy moved the hardest heart TO