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.

Royal Commenta ries~. Bo.OK It mend and praife· the lnciu of Peru for difallowing rhe Sacr.ifices of immane b1oud- ;md on the con~rary,. to blame ~rid abhor tho[e of Mexico f?r (uffe'ring ~nd making lawfull fu¡;:h D1aboltcal 'i\'oríli1ps; and Sacnfites, both w1rhm and w1thout their City , as the Hiíl:ory of che C9nqtiefi of th:it Counrrey doth trnly aver 5 which b~ng wrote by the Pen of the G~neral who made tbe Conquells, was moíl cer- tainly a.mhemick and. rrue,. and d1d def~rve t? have been owned by him, chat fo they might have carried as . great authonty wnh them, as che Commentaries did of Ju!im Cefar, for having bisName affixed to them. Ar che emrance into rheir Temples; or _aE the ti.me of rheir being there, the Chiefamongíl: them clapped hJS hands to h1s eye-bro'ws, pulling fome of che hairs from thence, which he blew tówards the ldol in token of reverence: And chis fort of Ad,aratiou they never ufed towards their Inca., bm onely to Idols or Trees or other (bings- into which the Devil entred and fpoke to rhem ; the f<lJI?e w;i; praél:i(ed by their Prieíls and Sore~rers,. before chey entred into corneirs and fecrer pla~es to difc?ur(e wich tlie Devi), irnagi~ing th~ ~ by fucb fubrniffion and refig- nation of che,tr Perfons, they obliged cheir Farrnhar to hear and an(wer them. And of this Idolatry I Gan give cefüm€>ny, becau(e 1 have feen it wirh my own eyes. . All the Prieíls of the Sun, ín the City of Couo, were of the Bloud-Royal · though for the inferiour Officers of it, fuch others were affigned,. as had gained th; privilege' of ·ei_ng called Inca.. Their High Prieít .was e.tcher ta be ~rother or Unde to tkir King, or fome otber of neareíl Bfoad ; their Priells uíed no Veft- ments different from others. In orher Provinces, chofe ·w hich were Natives or felated to the Prindpal men? were ~ade P~·iells, rhough the_ Chi~f Prieíl amo~gíl: them was an Inca, tha~ rnatters m1ght bear fome conform1ty wuh the Imperial City ; which rule was alfo obíerved in ali Offices relating to War and Peace, that fo the Natives might have rheir íhare in rhe Government, and not feem to be flighred or n.egleéted. . They had alfo fome Houfes far Virgins, which profeífed a perpetua} Vírginíry, where cpey ever retnained Reclufes : of wMch, and of che King's Concubines we íhall have occafion hereafter to treat more at large. All theíe Laws 'ín Government, and Rices in R:eligion, they precend ·for the greater authoriry of them t_o have rec~ived from thei~· fuíl: Inca, M a;icoCapnc; and that where Matters were imperfeét, it was left to h1sSucceífours to efiablifh ·and complete : For as they affirm thar theíe Laws, both in Religion and Govern.. m~nt, wern derived from the Sun, and infpired by him into his Children che In- CM ; fo 1t is hard m affirm, to wh0m in particular foch and fuch Laws ·wére to be attributed. ' . . CH A P. v. the Divífion of the Émpire into {out P arf ~, ar_ul of the Regz~ flets /zept by the Decurions, and what their Ojfice was~ T.· HE Incao divided rheir Empire into four Pares, which they called :{q.v;m:. tinfuy1~, '!nd fignifies the four Qlarters of the Heavens, v i:t.. Eaíl:, Wefi; Nortb and Somh. The Ciry of Couu they eíleemed the Poinr ~d Cen(re of all~· and in the Jndla11 Language is as muchas the Navel of rhe Earth, fór the Coun- rrey of Peru being long and narrow, in faíhion of a Man's body, and that City in the middle , it may aptly be termed the Nave! of that Empire. To the Eafi- '1vard they called the Countrey Ant1fuJ'u, from rhe Province Anti, which exteads all along that great Moumain, which runs through the fnowy defert Eaftward. To the \i\'eíl:ward they called the Coumrey Cunriflryu, from that finall Province whid1 is G:alled Gunti ; w the Noi:thward líes the Province Chií1ch1t, and co the Sou ch~