In The First Place, We Purged The Land Of Many Wicked Customs, And In
Particular From Human Sacrifices.
By estimates made by the reverend
Franciscan friars, who succeeded Fra Bartholomew de Olmedo, it appears
that above 2500 human victims were sacrificed yearly in Mexico and some
adjacent towns on the lake; so that the number annually put to death in
the whole country must have been very great.
Their various other horrible
practices exceed my powers of description. Their cursed adoratories were
exceedingly numerous, like our holy churches, hermitages, and chapels, in
Spain, as they had everywhere houses dedicated to idols, devils, and
infernal figures. Besides which, every individual native had two altars,
one beside the place where he or she slept, and another at the door of the
house, with chests containing large or small idols and stone knives, and
books made of the bark of trees containing the record of past times.
Especially on the coast and other sultry parts of the country, they were
addicted to the most abominable vices, where they had boys in female
attire. They fed on human flesh, as we do on beef, having wooden cages in
every town, in which men, women, and children, were kept and fed for that
purpose, to which all the prisoners taken in war were destined. Incest was
common among them, and they were extremely addicted to drunkenness. They
had as many wives as they pleased. From these and many other abominations,
it was the will of God that we should be the humble instruments to clear
the land; substituting a good policy and the holy doctrine of Jesus Christ
in their place. It is true that, two years afterwards, when the country
was subjugated and civilized, certain worthy Franciscans of good example
and holy doctrine came here, who were followed in three or four years by
fathers of the order of St Dominic, who completed what others had begun.
But the honour of having destroyed the abominations of the land, assuredly
belongs to us the true conquerors, who opened the way for these holy
fathers.
By the will of God, and the sacred Christianity of the emperor Don Carlos
of glorious memory, and our present most fortunate sovereign the
invincible Don Philip, all the natives of this great country have been
baptised to the salvation of their souls, formerly sunk and lost in the
bottomless pit. We have many fathers of the different orders, who go about
preaching and baptizing, by which means the knowledge of the holy Evangile
is firmly planted in the hearts of the natives, who confess yearly, and
those who have sufficient knowledge in the faith, participate in the holy
eucharist. The churches and their altars are richly adorned with all
requisites for holy worship; as crosses, candlesticks, wax-candles,
chalices, cups, plates, and vessels for incense, all of silver. The
ornaments of the altars and crosses are of velvet, and damask, and other
rich materials, of various colours and splendid workmanship, adorned with
embroidery of gold, silk and pearls. Each town has its bells according to
its ability. The chapels have choirs of good voices which sing in concert,
tenors, trebles, and counter-tenors. In some places there are organs; but
most have lutes, sackbuts, dulcimers, and bass and treble trumpets. This
one province of Guatimala has more than my native county, old Castille. It
is edifying and wonderful to see the devotion of the natives at the holy
mass, especially when performed by the fathers of the orders of St Francis
and of Mercy, who have the cures of the parishes. All the natives, men,
women, and children, are taught the holy prayers in their own tongue; and
always on passing a cross, crucifix, or altar, they fall on their knees
repeating a _pater noster_ or an _ave Maria_. We, the conquerors, taught
them to burn wax candles before the holy altars and crosses, and to behave
respectfully to the reverend fathers, going out to meet them when they
came to the towns, with lighted candles, ringing of bells, and providing
them abundantly with provisions. On Lady Day and Corpus Christi, and other
solemn fasts of the church, when we make processions, most of the natives
of this city of Guatimala go likewise in procession, with crosses and
lighted candles, bearing the images of their patron saints as richly
dressed as they can afford, and singing litanies and other holy prayers to
the sound of flutes and trumpets.
The natives also of these countries have learnt all the trades used among
us in Spain, having their shops, manufactories, and work-people. Their
goldsmiths and silversmiths, both those who make cast work or who use the
hammer, are excellent. Their lapidaries or engravers on precious stones,
especially emeralds, execute the nicest representations of the holy acts
and passion of our blessed Saviour, in such a manner as could not be
believed from Indians. Three of our native Mexican artists, named Andres
de Aquino, Juan de la Cruz, and El Crispillo, have in my humble judgment
executed paintings which may vie with those of Apelles, Michael Angelo,
and Berruguete. The sons of the chiefs used to be educated in grammar, and
were learning very well, till this was prohibited by the holy synod, under
an order of the most reverend the archbishop of Mexico. Many of the
natives are manufacturers of silks and various other stuffs, and hatters,
and soap-boilers. Two trades only could never be acquired by them, which
is the art of glass blowing, and that of the apothecary; but this is not
owing to any defect of natural genius, as there are among them surgeons,
herbalists, jugglers, makers of puppets, and of violins. They cultivated
the ground before our arrival; and now they rear stock, break in bullocks
to the plough, sow, reap, manure, and make bread and biscuit. They have
planted their lands with the various fruits of old Spain, such as quince,
apple, and pear trees, which they hold in high estimation; but cut down
the unwholesome peach trees and the overshading plantains.
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