The royal commentaries of Peru : in two parts / written originally in spanish by the Inca Garcilasso de la Vega; rendred into english by sir Paul Rycaut.

1 BooK VI. Royal Commentaries.. C HA P. V. . Of the manner how they, l17terred their Kings 5 and that the Obfequies and Rite'S o/ Burial continued for the fpa~e of · a whole Tear. . ) T HE Rites of ~urial whlch nhey perfortned for their ·Kings we~e f01ei:1t1, a.nd . of long contmuance. fo t~e fuíl: pla~e thrY embalmed their B9d1es w1th fuch rare Are, that (as we have faid before) m ilie.year 1'5)9. they were fo firm and plump, chat they feemed to be living Fleíh. Their Bowels were ifltened in a Temple, which was fituated in the Countrey, called Tampu, upon the Banks of a River, below Yucay, about five Leagues diíl:ant from the City of Co<:.co, where were many íl:ately Edifices of Stone. Of which Pedro d.! Cíer_a fpeaki_ng in the 9 4 th Chapter of his Book, faith that it was reported fi?r certain, how that in fome places of the Palace, or Temple of che Sun, tbe Stones were joined or cramped with meked Gold, which with the cement rhey ufed, were well fixed and confo- li.dated together. · . When tbe Inca, or fome principal Curaca dyed, the Servants, who \.Yere his greateíl: Favourires, and tbe Wives, tbat were the moíl: beloved by hirn, ,die! ei- ther kill tbemfelves, or offer themfelves to be buried alive in the Tomb of tbeir Maíl:ers, thac fo they might accompany -them into che orher World, and renew their immonal Services in che ocher Life, which, as thcúr Religion taught them, was a corporeal, and not a fpiritual Being; whereby it· may appear, that what fome Hiíl:orians write relating to chis matter, namely, that they killed che Ser- vants after the death of rheir Maíl:ers, is a miíl:ake; for that would have been a pieceofTyranny, and Inhumanity, above che capaciry.of humane Nature ;· for nnder chis pmence one Mari might lawfully ki li another, a nd remove him out of the way who was hatefull ro ,hia¡, or í:\©6>d .in oppoíltion to his Defigns orlnte- reft. The truth ís, rhey qeeded no Law or compulfion to enforce them to follow the Fate of their Maíl:er; for wben he was.dead, his Servants crouded fo faíl: af. ter h im, defiring dearh, tlirat:tlue Magifüates were forced fometimes to 1nterpofe wi.th theír Au'thority, and perfüade them, that for the prefent their Maíl:er had no need of more attendance, but_that in dl!le time, whemi they naturally. yielded tó their own Mortafüy, in nüght then be feafoqable emough for rhem to rep<iir to their Services and Offices in the other World. , ' The Bodies qf .~heir Xfo;igs, after they were embahríem; were.feated before rhe Iinage of the Sun, in the Temple at Couo, to whom they offered Sacrifices, as to Demons, or Men of Divine Race. For the firíl: moñtlnafrer i fue death of tbe Inca, the whole CitY bewailed their lofs winh loud críes and lamo/ntations, and ' every Parilli, or quarrer 0f.ehe Town, w@lílt out in ;heit; fev~ral Dl:v·ifi'ons i.mo the fiel~s, carryil}g ~he Tropnies of the !ne.a, rus Banners, and Aruns, .arki G arme nts, ¡¡,nd whatfoeve¡: was to '!De ·buried in the grave with his J3owels j with t heir lighs and' famema~ions they i11entioned aind repeated che mighty Aél:s thatJ he -had done in the Wars, and the goocl.Aéts of Cbariny and Beneficernce that he had íhewed to them aml their Neighbemrhood. After the end <Jfthe firfr mónt11; they rhe11 c0mmemo~ared rhe Dearh of their Inca, at the Full aim.C:l New 1 of fh~Moon, and fo continued ci.11 ·due end Qf the füfr~ ~€ar> whem itihi~y concluded: the folemnity with foil pomp 1 a·nd frhne, appointing.1'$n and Wodr~n · prafüfecd ·in the Art of Cr"es and Lamemations. "' he, like ~ccilhmt Tragedians, aél:ed rheit parts offor- to in the mo(l; fo.rmal. am<li pailionaine; rnanner imaginable , fingi¡;¡g the Aél:s of the dead King in forrnwfu11 T0nes and Accents. What we have fa.id hitherto; was the part oaely·of che Commonahry, befides which the Cour t al'ld Nobility perforR'!ed tl1e Obfequies wi:nh as mrlcd.inliffer5=nce to thofe of the people, as d ere C e wai • f