GODS, SUPERNATURAL BEINGS, AND WORSHIP.
MAYA PANTHEON -- ZAMNÁ -- CUKULCAN -- THE GODS OF YUCATAN --
THE SYMBOL OF THE CROSS IN AMERICA -- HUMAN SACRIFICES IN
YUCATAN -- PRIESTS OF YUCATAN -- GUATEMALAN PANTHEON -- TEPEU
AND HURAKAN -- AVILIX AND HACAVITZ -- THE HEROES OF THE SACRED
BOOK -- QUICHÉ GODS -- WORSHIP OF THE CHOLES, MANCHES, ITZAS,
LACANDONES, AND OTHERS -- TRADITION OF COMIZAHUAL -- FASTS --
PRIESTS OF GUATEMALA -- GODS, WORSHIP, AND PRIESTS OF NICARAGUA
-- WORSHIP ON THE MOSQUITO COAST -- GODS AND WORSHIP OF THE
ISTHMIANS -- PHALLIC WORSHIP IN AMERICA.
The religion of the Mayas was fundamentally the same as that of the
Nahuas, though it differed somewhat in outward forms. Most of the gods
were deified heroes, brought more or less prominently to the front by
their importance. Occasionally we find very distinct traces of an
older sun-worship, which has succumbed to later forms, introduced,
according to vague tradition, from Anáhuac. The generality of this
cult is testified to by the numerous representations of sun-plates and
sun-pillars found among the ruins of Central America.[XI-1]
In Yucatan, Hunab Ku, 'the only god', called also Kinehahau, 'the
mouth or eyes of the sun',[XI-2] is represented as the Supreme Being,
the Creator, the Invisible one, whom no image can represent.[XI-3] His
spouse Ixazalvoh was honored as the inventor of weaving, and their son
Zamná, or Yaxcocahmut, one of the culture-heroes of the people, is
supposed to have been the inventor of the art of writing.[XI-4] The
inquiries instituted by Las Casas revealed the existence of a trinity,
the first person of which was Izona, the Great Father; the second was
the Son of the Great Father, Bacab, born of the virgin Chibirias,[XI-5]
scourged and crucified, he descended into the realms of the dead, rose
again the third day, and ascended into heaven; the third person of the
trinity was Echuah, or Ekchuah, the Holy Ghost.[XI-6] Now, to accuse
the reverend Fathers of deliberately concocting this and other
statements of a similar character is to accuse them of acts of
charlatanism which no religious zeal could justify. On the other hand,
that this mysterious trinity, had any real existence in the original
belief of the natives, is, to put it in its mildest form, exceedingly
doubtful. It may be, however, that the natives, when questioned
concerning their religion, endeavored to make it conform as nearly as
possible to that of their conquerors, hoping by this means to gain the
good will of their masters, and to lull suspicions of lurking
idolatry.
Bacab, stated above to mean the Son of the Great Father, was in
reality the name of four spirits who supported the firmament; while
Echuah, or the Holy Ghost, was the patron god of merchants and
travelers.
[Sidenote: ZAMNÁ.]
The goddess Ixcanleox was held to be the mother of the gods, but as
Cogolludo states that she had several names, she may possibly be
identical with Ixazaluoh, the wife of Hunab Ku, whose name implies
generation.[XI-7] The Mayas were not behind their neighbors in the
number of their lesser and special divinities, so that there was
scarcely an animal or imaginary creature which they did not represent
by sacred images. These idols, or _zemes_,[XI-8] as they were called,
were generally made of terra cotta, though sometimes they were of
stone, gold, or wood. In the front rank of the circle of gods, known
by the name of _ku_, were the deified kings and heroes, whom we often
find credited with attributes so closely connected as to imply
identity, or representation of varied phases of the same element.[XI-9]
The most popular names were Zamná and Cukulcan, both culture-heroes,
and considered by some to be identical; a very probable supposition
when we consider that Quetzalcoatl, who is admitted to be the same as
Cukulcan, had the attribute of the strong hand, as well as Zamná. The
tradition relates that some time after the fall of the Quinamean
Empire, Zamná appeared in Yucatan, coming from the west, and was
received with great respect wherever he stayed. Besides being the
inventor of the alphabet, he is said to have named all points and
places in the country. Over his grave rose a city called Izamal or
Itzamat Ul, which soon became one of the chief centres of pilgrimage
in the peninsula, especially for the afflicted, who sincerely believed
that their prayers when accompanied by suitable presents would not
fail to obtain a hearing. This class of devotees generally resorted
to the temple where he was represented in the form of a hand, Kab Ul,
or working hand, whose touch was sufficient to restore health.[XI-10]
Professor Müller thinks it very uncertain whether the creating or
working hand referred to the sun, as was the case among the northern
tribes, but the account given of the following idol seems to me to
make this not improbable. In the same city was an image of Kinich
Kakmo, 'face or eye of the sun', whom Landa represents to be the
offspring of the sun, but who subsequently became identified with that
luminary and received divine honors in the very temple that he had
erected to his father. He is represented in the act of sacrifice,
pointing the finger toward a ray from the midday sun, as if to draw a
spark wherewith to kindle the sacred fire. To this idol the people
resorted in times of calamity and sickness, bringing offerings to
induce oracular advice.[XI-11] There are many things which seem to me to
identify this personage with Zamná, although other writers hold them
to be distinct. Cogolludo, for instance, implies that Zamná was the
only son of the sun, or Supreme Being, while Landa and others declare
Kinich Kakmo to be the son of that luminary; both are placed on or
about the same level and considered as healers, and the uplifted hand
of the latter reminds us strongly of the Kab Ul. Another form in which
we may recognize Zamná is the image of Itzamat Ul, or 'the dew of
heaven', who is said to have been a great ruler, the son of god, and
who cured diseases, raised the dead, and pronounced oracles. When
asked his name, he replied, _ytzencaan_, _ytzenmuyal_.[XI-12]
[Sidenote: CUKULCAN.]
The other culture-hero, Cukulcan, appeared in Yucatan from the west,
with nineteen followers, two of whom were gods of fishes, two gods of
farms, and one of thunder, all wearing full beard, long robes, and
sandals, but no head-covering. This event is supposed to have occurred
at the very time that Quetzalcoatl disappeared in the neighboring
province of Goazacoalco, a conjecture which, in addition to the
similarity of the names, character, and work of the heroes, forms the
basis for their almost generally accepted identity. Cukulcan stopped
at several places in Yucatan, but at last settled in Chichen Itza,
where he governed for ten years, and framed laws. At the expiration of
this period, he left without apparent reason to return to the country
whence he had come. A grateful people erected temples at Mayapan and
Chichen, to which pilgrims resorted from all quarters to worship him
as a god, and to drink of the waters in which he had bathed. His
worship, although pretty general throughout Yucatan at one time, was
later on confined chiefly to the immediate scenes of his labors.[XI-13]
Besides Izamal and Chichen, there was a third great centre of worship
in Yucatan, namely, the temple of Ahulneb, on Cozumel Island, said by
some writers to have been the chief sanctuary, Chichen being second in
importance. It consisted of a square tower of considerable size,
within which was the gigantic terra-cotta statue of Ahulneb, dressed
as a warrior, and holding an arrow in his hand. The statue was hollow
and set up close against an aperture in the wall, by which the priest
entered the figure to deliver the oracle; should the prediction not be
fulfilled, which was scarcely likely as it was generally so worded
that it might mean anything or nothing, the failure was ascribed to
insufficient sacrifice or unatoned sin. So famous did this oracle
become, and so great was the multitude of pilgrims continually
flocking to it, that it was found necessary to construct roads leading
from the chief cities of Yucatan, and even from Tabasco and Guatemala,
to Polé, a town on the continent opposite the island. Before
embarking, the genius of the sea was always propitiated by the
sacrifice of a dog, which was slain with arrows amid music and
dancing.[XI-14]
[Sidenote: YUCATEC DEITIES.]
The Bacabs were four brothers who supported the four corners of the
firmament; they were also regarded as air gods. Cogolludo speaks of
them as Zacal Bacab, Canal Bacab, Chacal Bacab, and Ekel Bacab, but
they were also known by other names. Echuah was the patron-god of
merchants and of roads; to him the traveler erected every night a rude
altar of six stones, three laid flat, and three set upright, upon
which he burned incense while he invoked the protection of the god.
It was considered a religious duty by Yucatec wayfarers, when passing
some prominent point on the road or spot where an image of Echuah
stood, to add a stone or two to the heap already accumulated there, an
act of devotion similar to that performed by the Romans in honor of
Mercury. Yuncemil was Lord of Death, or, perhaps, the personification
of death itself; this dread deity was propitiated with offerings of
food.[XI-15] Acat was God of Life; he it was that formed the infant in
the womb. At Tihoo, the present Mérida, stood the magnificent temple
of Yahau Kuna in which Baklum Chaam, the Priapus of the Mayas and
their most ancient god was worshiped. Chac, or Chaac, a former king of
Izamal, was honored as the god of fields, and fertility, and the
inventor of agriculture. Some distance south-west of this city was the
temple of Hunpictok, 'commander of eight thousand lances', a title
given also to the general of the army.[XI-16] Abchuy Kak was another
apotheosized warrior-prince, whose statue, dressed in royal robes, was
borne in the van of the army by four of the most illustrious captains,
and received an ovation all along the route. Yxchebelyax is mentioned
as the inventor of the art of interweaving figures in cloth, and of
painting. Xibalba, 'he who disappears,' was the name of the evil
spirit. Exquemelin relates that nagualism obtained on the coast. The
naked child was placed on a bed of ashes in the temple, and the animal
whose footprint was noticed in the ashes, was adopted as the nagual,
and to it the child offered incense as it grew up.[XI-17]
* * * * *
[Sidenote: THE SYMBOL OF THE CROSS.]
One of the most remarkable emblems of Maya worship, in the estimation
of the conquerors, was the cross, which has also been noticed in other
parts of Central America and in Mexico,[XI-18] although less prominently
than here. Among the many conjectures as to its origin it is supposed
that it was received from Spaniards who were wrecked on the coast
before Córdova discovered Yucatan, as, for instance, the pious
Aguilar, Cortés' interpreter; but this would not account for the
crosses that existed in other parts of Central America. The natives
had a tradition, however, which placed the introduction of the cross a
few years before the conquest. Among the many prophets who arose at
that time was one who predicted the coming of a strange people from
the direction of the rising sun, who would bring with them a
monotheistic faith having the cross for its emblem. He admonished them
to accept the new religion, and erected a cross as a token of his
prophecy.[XI-19] Another tradition states that a very handsome man
passed through the country and left the cross as a memento, and this
many of the padres readily believed, declaring this personage to be
none other than the wanderer St Thomas.[XI-20] The opinion that it was
introduced by early Christians, or old-world pagans, is, however,
opposed by the argument that other more practical features of their
culture would have left their mark at the same time. The symbol
itself is so simple and suggestive of so many ideas that it seems to
me most reasonable to suppose that the natives adopted it without
foreign aid. At all events, as the cross was in use both as a
religious emblem and an instrument of punishment long before the
Christian era, it is surely unnecessary to account for its presence in
America by theories invented for the occasion, or, in fact, in any way
to connect it with Christianity. The most common signification
attributed to the symbol is fertility or generation. A piece of wood
fastened horizontally to an upright beam indicated the height of the
overflow of the Nile. If the flood reached this mark, the crops
flourished; should it fail to do so, famine was the result; thus, we
are told, in Egypt the cross came to be worshipped as a symbol of life
and generation, or feared as an image of decay and death. By other
peoples and for other reasons it was closely connected with phallic
rites, of which I shall speak elsewhere, or was connected with the
worship of that great fertilizer and life-giver, the sun. Among the
Chinese the cross signifies conception. The cross of Thor may possibly
be an exception, and refer merely to his hammer or thunderbolt.[XI-21]
With the Mexicans the cross was a symbol of rain, the fertilizing
element, or rather of the four winds, the bearers of rain, and as such
it was one of Quetzalcoatl's emblems. Chalchiuitlicue, the sister of
the rain-gods, bore in her hands a cross-shaped vessel. The cross is
to be found in Mexican MSS., and appears in that of Fejérvary with a
bird, which, as an inhabitant of the air, may be said to accord with
the character of the symbol. The Mexican name of the cross,
_tonacaquahuitl_, 'tree of one life, or flesh,' certainly conveys the
idea of fertility. It is nevertheless regarded by some writers merely
as an astronomical sign.[XI-22] The first cross noticed by the Spaniards
stood within the turreted court-yard of a temple on Cozumel Island; it
was composed of lime and stone, and was ten spans (palmos) in height.
To this cross the natives prayed for rain, and in times of drought
went in procession to offer _vahomche_, as they called the symbol,
quails and other propitiatory gifts. Another cross stood within the
precincts of the Spanish cloister at Mérida, whither the pious monks
had most likely brought it from Cozumel; it was about three feet high,
six inches thick, and had another cross sculptured on its face.[XI-23]
The sculptured cross at Palenque has the latin form; a bird is perched
on its apex, and on either side stands a human figure, apparently
priests, one of whom offers it a child.[XI-24]
[Sidenote: HUMAN SACRIFICES IN YUCATAN.]
The Yucatecs were as careful as the Mexicans to prepare for their
numerous festivals by fasts marked by strict chastity and absence from
salt and pepper.[XI-25] Scarification could not be omitted by the pious
on these occasions, although women were not called upon to draw
blood.[XI-26] Yet their gods were not by any means so blood-thirsty as
the Mexican, being generally appeased by the blood of animals, and
human sacrifices were called for only on extraordinary occasions.
Cukulcan, like his prototype Quetzalcoatl, doubtless opposed the
shedding of human blood, but after his departure the practice
certainly existed, and the pit at Chichen Itza, whose waters he had
consecrated with his person, was among the first places to be
polluted. The victims here were generally young virgins, who were
charged when they should come into the presence of the gods to entreat
them for the needed blessings. Medel relates that on one occasion the
victim threatened to invoke the most terrible evils upon the people,
instead of blessings, if they sacrificed her against her will; the
perplexed priests thought it prudent to let the girl go, and select
another and more tractable sacrifice in her place. The victims who
died under the knife, or were tied to a tree and shot, were usually
enslaved captives, especially those of rank, but when these failed,
criminals and even children were substituted. All contributed to these
sacrifices, either by presenting slaves and children, or by
subscribing to the purchase money. While awaiting this doom the
victims were well treated, and conducted from town to town amid great
rejoicings; care was taken, however, that no sinful act should detract
from their purity or value.[XI-27] Sometimes the body was eaten, says
Landa, the feet, hands and head being given to the priests, the rest
to the chiefs and others; but Cogolludo and Gomara insist that
cannibalism was not practiced. The latter statement can not apply to
the whole of the peninsula, however, for on a preceding page Cogolludo
relates that Aguilar's shipwrecked companions were sacrificed and
eaten by the natives.[XI-28]
Confession, which Cukulcan is said to have introduced, was much
resorted to, the more so as death and disease were thought to be
direct punishments for sin committed. Married priests were the regular
confessors, but these were not always applied to for spiritual aid;
the wife would often confess to her husband, or a husband to his wife,
or sometimes a public avowal was made. Mental sins however, says
Landa, were not confessed.[XI-29]
[Sidenote: PRIESTS OF YUCATAN.]
The priesthood of Yucatan were divided into different factions, some
of which regarded Zamná and Cukulcan as their respective founders,
while others remained true to more ancient leaders. According to Landa
the high-priest was termed Ahkin Mai, or Ahau Can Mai, and held in
great veneration, as one whose advice was followed by the kings and
grandees. The revenues of the office, which passed as an inheritance
to the son or nearest relative, consisted of presents from the king
and of tributes collected by the priests. The ordinary priests bore
the title of _ahkin_,[XI-30] and were divided into several classes.
Some of them preached, made offerings, kept records, and instructed
the sons of nobles and those destined for the priesthood in the
various branches of education. The _chilanes_ who construed the
oracles of the gods, and accordingly exercised great influence, held
the highest place in the estimation of the people, before whom they
appeared in state, borne in litters. The sorcerers and medicine men
foretold fortunes and cured diseases. The _chacs_ were four old men
elected at every celebration to assist the priests, from which it
would seem that the priesthood was not a very numerous body. _Nacon_
was the title of the sacrificer, an office held for life, but little
esteemed; this title was also borne by the general of the army, who
assisted at certain festivals. Marriage seems to have been permitted
to all, and confessors were actually required to have wives, yet there
were doubtless a large number who lived in a state of celibacy,
devoted to their sacred duties. Their dress varied according to their
rank, the high-priest being distinguished by a mitre in addition to
his peculiar robe; the most usual dress was, however, a large white
cotton robe[XI-31] and a turban formed by wreathing the unwashed hair
round the head, and keeping it pasted in that position with blood.
Connected with the sun worship was an order of vestals, formed by
princess Zuhui Kak, 'fire virgin,' the daughter of Kinich Kakmo,
superioress of the vestals. The members were all volunteers, who
generally enrolled themselves for a certain time, at the expiration of
which they were allowed to leave and enter the married state; some,
however, remained for ever in the service of the temple, and were
apotheosized. Their duty was to tend the sacred fire, the emblem of
the sun, and to keep strictly chaste; those who broke their vows were
shot to death with arrows.[XI-32]
The chief account of Guatemalan worship is derived from the sacred
book of the Quichés, the _Popol Vuh_, to which I have already referred
in the opening pages of this volume, but the description given in it
is so confused, the names and attributes of the gods so mixed, that no
very reliable conclusions can be derived therefrom. This very
confusion seems, however, to indicate that the imported names of
Hurakan, Gucumatz, and others, were with their attributes attached to
native heroes, who undergo the most varying fortunes and character,
amid which now and then a glance is obtained at their original form.
[Sidenote: TEPEU AND HURAKAN.]
The most ancient of the gods are two persons called Hun Ahpu Vuch and
Hun Ahpu Utïu, or Xpiyacoc and Xmucane, Creator and Protector,
Grandfather and Grandmother of the sun and moon, who are often
confounded under either gender and represented with big noses, like
tapirs, an animal sacred to these people. Brasseur identifies them
with the Mexican Oxomoco and Cipactonal,[XI-33] Tonacatlecutli and
Tonacatepetl, Ometecutli and Omecihuatl, the female also with Centeotl
and Toci, and places her in the Quiché calendar as Hun Ahpu, while the
male heads the list of months under the name of Imox.[XI-34] Connected
with them stands Tepeu, termed by the sacred book Dominator, He who
Begets, and whose name means grand, majestic. Ximenez, by translating
his name as buboes, or syphilis, connects him with Nanahuatzin, the
Nahua hero who threw himself into the fire and rose as the sun.[XI-35]
Tepeu is more generally known under the name of Gucumatz, 'feathered
snake,' which is universally identified with Quetzalcoatl, the Nahua
air god. In this character he is said to transform himself every seven
days into four forms, snake, eagle, tiger, a mass of coagulated blood,
one after the other, and every seven days he visits heaven and hell
alternately. He is also held to be the introducer of culture in
Guatemala, though more, as one who directs man in his search for
improvement, than as a culture-hero.[XI-36] These two gods blending into
one, often form a trinity with Hun Ahpu Vuch and Hun Ahpu Utïu, under
the one name of Gucumatz, the Heart of Heaven. The assumption by this
god of four forms may have reference to the divine quartette, and in
the expression "they are enveloped in a mist of green and azure,"
Brasseur de Bourbourg sees a reference to the sacred bundle containing
the four first men and sacrifices, transformed into gods.[XI-37]
Hurakan,[XI-38] although connected with the above quartette in the
enumeration of titles of the supreme deity, keeps aloof from the lower
sphere in which these move at times, and is even invoked by Gucumatz,
who calls him, among other names, Creator, he who begets and gives
being. That he was held to be distinct, and worshiped as such by the
Quichés, may be seen from the fact that they had one high-priest for
Gucumatz, and another for Tohil, another name of Hurakan, who seems to
have ranked a degree above the former.[XI-39] He represented the thunder
and lightning, and his particular title seems to have been Heart of
Heaven, under which were included the three phases of his attribute,
the thunder, the lightning, and the thunderbolt, or, as stated in
another place, the flash, the track of the lightning, and the
thunderbolt,[XI-40] another conception of a trinity. He is also called
Centre of the Earth and is represented with thunder in his hand. The
bird Voc was his messenger. Müller considers him a sun god, probably
because of his title 'Heart of Heaven,' which determines nothing,
while others hold him to be identical with the Tlalocs, the Mexican
rain gods. He is doubtless the same as Tohil, the leader of the Quiché
gods, who is represented by the sign of water, but whose name
signifies rumble, clash.[XI-41] In him are also found united the three
symbols of Quiché trinity, as will be seen shortly, and his priests
address him: "Hail, Beauty of the Day, Hurakan, Heart of Heaven and of
Earth! Thou who givest glory, riches and children! Thou Tohil, Avilix,
Gagavitz, Bowels of Heaven, Bowels of Earth! Thou who dost constitute
the four ends of Heaven!"[XI-42] He was also god of fire, and as such
gave his people fire by shaking his sandals.[XI-43] According to the
version of Brasseur de Bourbourg, his temple at Utatlan, where he
seems to have taken the place of an ancient god, was a truncated
pyramid with extremely steep steps in the façade. On its summit was a
temple of great height, built of cut stone, and with a roof of
precious woods; the walls within and without were covered with fine,
brilliant stucco of extreme hardness. In the midst of the most
splendid surroundings sat the idol, on a throne set with precious
stones. His priests perpetually prayed and burnt precious incense
before him, relieving each other in bands of thirteen, so that while
some attended to his service, the others fasted to prepare for it. The
chief men of the kingdom also attended in bands of eighteen, to invoke
his blessing for them and their provinces, nine fasting, while nine
offered incense.[XI-44] Tohil, and the other members of the trinity,
Avilix and Hacavitz, or Gagavitz, who also represent the thunder, the
lightning, and the thunderbolt, were the family gods given by the
Creator to the founders of the Quiché race, and though they afterwards
became stone, they could still assume other shapes in conformity with
the supreme will. As family gods they had special temples in the
palace of the princes, where their regular service was conducted, and
three mountain peaks bearing their names, served to keep them before
the people.[XI-45] The flint with which Brinton identifies Tohil may,
perhaps, be the black stone brought from the far east, and venerated
in the temple of Kahba, 'house of sacrifice,' at Utatlan, but there
is no confirmation by the chroniclers. It is, besides, stated that the
worship of Kahba had greatly declined, but was again restored to
something like its former glory by Gucumatz; Tohil, on the other hand,
always stood high, and his high-priest belonged to a different
family.[XI-46] A similar stone existed in a temple situated in a deep
ravine near Iximche, in whose polished face the gods made known their
will. This stone was often used to determine the fate of those accused
of crime; if the judges perceived no change in the stone the prisoner
went free.[XI-47]
[Sidenote: HAVALITZ AND HACAVITZ.]
[Sidenote: ADVENTURES OF XQUIQ, HUN AHPU, AND XBALANQUE.]
We now come to the heroes with whose adventures the _Popol Vuh_ is
chiefly occupied. From the union of the Grandfather and Grandmother
who head the list of Quiché deities, proceeded two sons, Hunhun Ahpu
and Vukab Hun Ahpu.[XI-48] They incur the suspicion and hatred of the
princes of Xibalba, who plan their downfall and for this purpose
invite them to their court, under the pretence of playing a game of
ball with them. On their arrival they are subjected to various
indignities and finally condemned to lose their heads. The head of
Hunhun Ahpu is placed between the withered branches of a
calabash-tree; but lo! a miracle takes place; the tree immediately
becomes laden with fruit and the head turns into a calabash.
Henceforth the tree is held sacred and the king commands that none
shall touch it. Xquiq, however, a royal princess, Eve-like, disregards
the injunction, and approaches to pluck the fruit. As she stretches
forth her arm, Hunhun Ahpu spits into her hand, and Xquiq finds
herself pregnant. Her father soon perceives her condition, and in a
fury condemns her to death, telling the executioners to bring him the
heart of his daughter to prove that they have done their duty. While
being led to the wood Xquiq pleads earnestly for her life, and finally
prevails upon her executioners to deceive her father by substituting
for her heart the jelly-like resin of a tree, which she procures.
Xquiq proceeds to Utatlan, to the Grandmother, Xmucane, and gives
birth to the twins Hun Ahpu and Xbalanque,[XI-49] who develop rapidly;
their superior talents soon make their elder brothers jealous, and
they attempt their destruction, but the twins anticipate their designs
and transform them into apes. These brothers Hun Batz and Hun Chouen,
were the sons of Hunhun Ahpu by Xbakiyalo, and were invoked as the
patrons of the fine arts[XI-50]. Brasseur de Bourbourg explains this
myth by saying that Hunhun Ahpu denotes the Nahua immigrants who by
their superiority gain the women of the country, and whose children
carry on a successful struggle with the aboriginal race. The
continuance of the contest and the triumph of the Nahuas is described
in the adventures of Hun Ahpu and Xbalanque. A rat reveals to them
their origin, and the place where the ball-game implements of their
father are hidden. They play a match with the Xibalba princes who had
challenged their father, and are successful in this as well as several
herculean tasks assigned to them, but are nevertheless burned.[XI-51]
The ashes, thrown into the water, are transformed into two handsome
young men, and then into man-fishes, a reference, perhaps, to the
arrival by sea of allies to help them. Again they make their
appearance in Xibalba, this time as conjurers, and lay their plans so
skillfully as to overthrow the Prince Vukub Cakix with his adherents,
and obtain the apotheosis of their father and his adherents as sun,
moon, and stars. Vukub Cakix, who represents the sun, may be taken as
the representative of an older sun-worship replaced by the newer cult
introduced by Hun Ahpu.[XI-52] The burning of this hero agrees with that
of the Mexican Nanahuatzin who by this act became a sun. In fact,
Brasseur de Bourbourg considers the whole as a version of the Nahua
myth. From another point of view Hun Ahpu, whose name, signifying
'sarbacan-blower or air-shooter,' suits the attribute of the air-god,
may be considered as the morning wind dispersing the clouds and
disclosing the splendors of the sun.[XI-53]
In the _Quatre Lettres_, the Abbé takes another view of the myth, and
sees in it but a version of the convulsions that take place in the
Antilles, the Seven Grottos of the Mexican myth, of which I have
spoken in a preceding chapter. Hunhun Ahpu, Vukub Hun Ahpu, and the
two legitimate sons of the former are volcanoes, and their plays,
death, and transformation, are earthquakes, extinction, and upheavals.
The burning of Hun Ahpu and Xbalanque and the scattering of their
ashes upon the waters is the final catastrophe, the sinking of the
Atlantides, or the seven islands; and as the brothers rise again in
the form of beautiful young men, so do new islands take the place of
those destroyed. The confirmation of this he finds in a tradition
current on the islands, which speaks of certain upheavals similar to
the above.[XI-54]
[Sidenote: QUICHÉ GODS.]
The Quichés had a multitude of other gods and genii, who controlled
the elements and exercised their influence upon the destinies of man.
The places where they most loved to linger were dark quiet spots, in
the undisturbed silence of the grotto, at the foot of some steep
precipice, beneath the shade of mighty trees, especially where a
spring trickled forth between its roots, and on the summit of the
mountains; and here the simple native came to pour out his sorrow, and
to offer his sacrifice. In some places this idea of seclusion was
carried to such an extent that idols were kept hidden in subterranean
chapels, that they might not be disturbed or the people become too
familiar with them; another reason, however, was to prevent their
being stolen by other villagers. The god of the road had sanctuaries,
called _mumah_, all along the highways, especially at the junctions,
and the traveler in passing never failed to rub his legs with a
handful of grass, upon which he afterwards spat with great respect,
and deposited it upon the altar together with a small stone, believing
that this act of piety would give him renewed strength. He also left a
small tribute from his stock of food or merchandise, which remained to
decay before the idol, for none dared to remove it. This custom was
also observed in Nicaragua.
The household gods were termed _chahalha_, 'guardian of the house,'
and to them incense was burned and sacrifice made during the erection
of a building; when finished, a corner in the interior was consecrated
to their use. They seem to have been identified with the spirit of
departed friends, for occasionally a corpse was buried beneath the
house to insure their presence.[XI-55]
Among the more superstitious highlanders, the ancient worship has
retained its hold upon the population to a great extent, in spite of
the efforts of the padres. Scherzer tells us that the people of
Istlavacan reverenced gods of reason, health, sowing, and others,
under the names of Noj, Ajmak, Kanil, and Ik, who were generally
embodied in natural features, as mountains, or big trees. They
recognized an Ormuzd and an Ahriman in Kij, the god of light and good
principle, opposed by Juiup, the god of earth and evil principle, who
was represented by a rock, three feet high and one foot thick,
supposed to be a distorted human face. The native priests generally
took the horoscope, and appointed a nagual, or guardian spirit for
their children, before the padres were allowed to baptize them. They
are said to have sacrificed infants, scattering their heart's blood
upon a stone before the idol, and burying the body in the woods to
avoid detection.[XI-56]
The Choles and Manches of Vera Paz, impressed with the wild features
of their country, venerated the mountains, and on one called
Escurruchan, which stood at the junction of several branches of their
principal river, they kept up a perpetual fire to which passers-by
added fuel, and at which sacrifices were offered. At another place the
padres found a rough altar of stone and clay surrounded by a fence,
where they burned torches of black wax and resinous wood, and offered
fowls, and blood from their bodies, to mountains, cross-roads and
pools in the river, whence came all means of existence and all
increase.[XI-57]
[Sidenote: WORSHIP OF A HORSE.]
The chief idol of the Itzas was Hubo, who was represented by a hollow
metal figure with an opening between the shoulders, through which
human beings were passed, charged to implore the favors of the gods. A
fire was then lighted beneath the figure, and while the victims were
roasting alive, their friends joined in a dance around it, drowning
the cries of the victims with shouts and rattling of drums. No women
were allowed to join in the temple ceremonies. On the chief island in
the lake of Peten, the conquerors found twenty-one stone temples with
stone roofs, the chief of which formed a kind of pyramid of nine
steps. In this was found a large chalchiuite, representing one of
their two battle-gods, Pakoc and Hunchunchan, who gave oracles and
were supposed to join the people in their dances. This familiarity
evidently bred contempt, however, for it is related that when a
prediction of the oracle was not fulfilled, the priest without
hesitation castigated the idol. In the same temple stood a gypsum
image in the form of the sun, adorned with rays, inlaid with nacar,
and having a gaping mouth set with human teeth. The bones of a horse,
which hung from the rafters, were adored as sacred relics. These were
the remains of a wounded horse left by Cortés among the natives when
on his way to Honduras. Having seen the Spaniards fire from its back,
they believed that the animal produced the flash and report, and hence
adored it as Tziminchac, god of thunder, and brought it flowers,
flesh, and incense; but such offerings did not sustain life, and it
was not long before the bones of the apotheosized charger were all
that remained to his worshipers. In another place was a stone and lime
imitation of this horse, seated on the floor on its haunches, which
the natives adored in the same manner. This animal-worship was the
more readily admitted, since their gods was supposed to assume such
forms.[XI-58]
Their idols were so numerous, say the conquerors, that it took over a
hundred men a whole day to destroy those existing on the chief island
alone; Cogolludo affirms that the priests had charge of all the
idols.[XI-59] The chief god of the Cakchiquels, Chamalcan, or
Chimalacan,[XI-60] had many of the attributes of Tohil, but took the
form of a bat, the symbol of the royal house of Zotzil. Every seventh
and thirteenth day of the month the priests placed before him
blood-stained thorns, fresh white resin, bark and branches of pine,
and a cat, the emblem of night, which were burned in his honor.[XI-61]
The purest form of sun-worship appears among the Lacandones, who
adored the luminary without the intervention of an image, and
sacrificed before it in the Mexican fashion. They had temples,
however, the walls of which were decorated with hieroglyphs of the sun
and moon, and with a figure in the act of praying to the sun.[XI-62] The
Nahua tribe of the Pipiles also worshiped the sun, before which they
prostrated themselves while offering incense and muttering
invocations. Quetzalcoatl and the goddess Itzqueye were honored in the
sacrifice,[XI-63] which generally consisted of a deer. The relative
importance of Quetzalcoatl and Itzqueye, may be seen from the
statement that the festival held in honor of the former on certain
occasions lasted fifteen days, while that in honor of the latter was
but of five days duration. The chief centre of worship was at Mictlan,
near Huixa Lake, where now is the village of Santa Maria Mita,
founded, according to tradition, by an old man, who in company with an
exceedingly beautiful girl issued from the lake, both dressed in long
blue robes, the man also wearing a mitre. He seated himself upon a
stone on the hill, while the girl pursued her way and disappeared, and
here, by his order, was built the temple of Mictlan, round which
stately palaces afterwards arose; he also organized the government of
the place.[XI-64]
[Sidenote: TRADITION OF COMIZAHUAL.]
Among the vestiges of older worship we find the natives of Cerquin in
Honduras,[XI-65] venerating and praying for health to two idols, called
respectively Great Father and Great Mother, which probably refer to
the Grandfather and Grandmother of the Quichés. A faint idea of a
Supreme Being, says Torquemada, was mixed up with the worship of the
sun and stars, to which sacrifices were made. Their culture-tradition
speaks of a beautiful white woman, called Comizahual, or 'flying
tigress,' a reputed sorceress, as the introducer of civilization in
Cerquin. She is said to have descended from heaven and to have been
transported by an invisible hand to the city of Cealcoquin, where she
built a palace adorned with monstrous figures of men and animals, and
placed in the chief temple a stone having on each of its three sides
three faces of strange and hideous aspect; by aid of this stone she
conquered her enemies. She remained a virgin, yet three sons were born
to her,[XI-66] among whom she divided the kingdom when she grew old.
After arranging her affairs, she commanded her attendants to carry her
on her bed to the highest part of the palace, whence she suddenly
disappeared amid thunder and lightning, doubtless to resume her place
among the gods; directly afterwards a beautiful bird was seen to fly
upwards and disappear. The people erected a temple in her honor, where
the priest delivered her oracles, and celebrated every year the
anniversary of her disappearance with great feasts. Palacio refers to
a stone, like the one with three faces, named Icelaca, in Cezori,
which disclosed things past, present, and future, and before which the
people sacrificed fowls, rabbits and various kinds of food, and
smeared the face with blood drawn from the generative organs.[XI-67]
The religious fervor of the people is shown by the fact that whatever
work they undertook they commenced by sanctifying it with prayers and
offerings and by incensing their implements that they might acquire
more efficacy; thus, before commencing to sow, the laborers killed a
turkey whose blood they scattered over the field, and performed other
ceremonies.[XI-68] Simple in their mode of life, they did not importune
the gods for vain luxuries: their prayers were for long life, health,
children, and the necessaries of life. The first they hoped to obtain
by scarifications and penances; to guard against disease, they sent
the priest a bird, generally a quail, to sacrifice. When actually
attacked by sickness confession was resorted to as a powerful means of
propitiation, as was also the case on all important occasions to
secure divine blessings and avert immediate danger. It is related by
an old chronicler that when a party of travelers met a jaguar or puma,
each one immediately commended himself to the gods and confessed in a
loud voice the sins he had committed, imploring pardon. If the object
of their terror still advanced upon them, they cried, "we have
committed as many more sins, do not kill us!" and sat down, saying one
to another, "one of us has done some grievous deed, and him the wild
beast will kill!"[XI-69]
[Sidenote: SPECIAL FASTS.]
In their scarifications, those who drew the most blood, especially
from the secret organs, were held to be the most pious. Among the
Pipiles the women joined in drawing blood from the ears and tongue,
and smearing it on cotton, offered it to Quetzalcoatl, and then to
Itzcueye.[XI-70] On extraordinary occasions, as in the event of a public
calamity, the priests and chief men held a council to determine the
propitiatory penance to be imposed on the people, and the kind of
sacrifice to be offered; the Ahgih were called upon to trace magic
circles and figures, and to cast grains, so as to determine the time
when it should be made. The esteemed task of collecting the fuel for
this celebration devolved upon a royal prince, who formed the boys of
the district into bands to forage for the wood. The efforts of the
people alone were not considered sufficient at such times to
propitiate the gods; it required the sanctified presence and powerful
influence of the high priest to secure remission of sins. This
personage, whether king or pontiff, subjected himself to a very severe
fast and penance during the twenty, or even hundred days determined
upon. He removed to an arbor near the hidden sanctuary of the idols,
and lived in entire solitude, subsisting on grains and fruit, touching
no food prepared by fire, sacrificing the offerings brought him during
the day, and drawing blood. The fast over, with its attendant
separation of man and wife, bathing, painting in red, and other acts
of penance, the nobles went in a body to the retreat of the idols, and
having adorned them in the most splendid manner, conducted them in
procession to the town, attended by the high priest and victims. In
places where the idols were kept in the temples of the town, they
marched with them round the city. The various rites closed with games
of ball, played under the supervision of the idols, and with feasting
and reveling.[XI-71]
The Popol Vuh ascribes the introduction of human sacrifices to Tohil,
who exacted this offering from the first four men in return for the
fire given to the Quichés, while Las Casas states that Xbalanque
initiated them. Their knives of sacrifice, he says, had fallen from
heaven, and were accordingly adored as 'hands of God,' and set in rich
handles of gold or silver, ornamented with turquoises and emeralds.
The ordinary sacrifices occurred several times a month, and among the
Pipiles, the number and quality were indicated by the calendar and
consisted chiefly of bastard boys from six to twelve years of age.
Their most solemn offerings were made at the commencement and end of
the rains, and were attended by the chief men only. Juarros states
that human sacrifices were not offered by the Pipiles and that the
attempt of caciques to introduce them resulted in an insurrection;
and, although this will scarcely apply to later times, it seems that
formerly the sacrifices were very few in number. The Cakchiquels are,
however, said to have abstained from the rite. Cortés relates that at
Acalá the fairest girls to be found were selected by the priests and
brought up, in strict chastity, to be sacrificed, at the proper time,
to the goddess of the place. The Itzas, who, when captives failed, took
the fattest of their young men for victims, had several modes of
immolation, as roasting the victims alive in the metal image;
dispatching them with the knife on the stone of sacrifice, a large one
of which was found at Taysal; impalement, followed by extraction of
the heart, as at Prospero; and in earlier times shooting, as was done
by their Yucatec ancestors. According to Cogolludo, three persons
assisted at the sacrifices, the _adkulel_, master of ceremonies, the
_adkayom_, and a virgin who must be the daughter of one of these; but
Villagutierre mentions that the stone of sacrifice at the chief temple
at Taysal, was surrounded by twelve seats for the attendant priests;
and assistants to hold the victims were certainly required.
Cannibalism seems to have attended all these sacrifices, the flesh
being boiled and seasoned, and the choice bits reserved for the high
priests and chiefs.[XI-72]
[Sidenote: THE PRIESTS OF GUATEMALA.]
Each of the numerous tribes of Guatemala had a distinct and separate
body of priests, who by means of their oracles exercised a decided
influence on the state, and some, the Quichés for instance, were
spiritually governed by independent pontiffs. The high priests of
Tohil and Gucumatz, Ahau Ah Tohil and Ahau Ah Gucumatz, belonged to
the royal house of Cawek, and held the fourth and fifth rank
respectively among the grandees of the Empire; Ahau-Avilix, the
high-priest of Avilix, was a member of the Nihaïb family; Ahau
Gagavitz came of the Ahau Quiché house; and the two high-priests of
the Kahba temple in Utatlan were of the Zakik house, and each had a
province allotted him for his support. The Tohil priests were vowed to
perpetual continence and austere penitence, and were not permitted to
taste meat or bread.[XI-73] The pontiff at Mictlan, in Salvador, who
stood on nearly the same level as the king, bore the title of Teoti,
'divine'[XI-74] and was distinguished by a long blue robe, a diadem, and
a baton like an episcopal cross; on solemn occasions he substituted a
mitre of beautiful feathers for the diadem. Next to him came an
ecclesiastical council composed of the Tehuamatlini, chief of the
astrologers and learned priests, who acted as lieutenant of the high
priest, and superintended the writings and divinations, and four other
priests, _teopixqui_, who dressed in different colors. These ruled the
rest of the priesthood, composed of keepers of properties,
sacrificers, watchers, and the ordinary priests, termed _teupas_, who
were all appointed by the high-priests from the sons of the
ministers. When the high-priest died, the body was embalmed and placed
in a crypt beneath the palace. After fifteen days of mourning,
attended by fasts, the king and Tehuamatlini drew lots for his
successor from among the four teopixqui, the vacancy in their ranks
being filled by a son of the pontiff, or one of their own sons. The
elected purified himself for the office by blood-letting and other
observances, while the people celebrated his accession with feasting
and dancing. In Vera Paz the chief priest was elected according to
merit from a certain family by the people, and ranked next to the
king.[XI-75] As an instance of the lasting influence possessed by the
priesthood over the people, Scherzer relates that at Istlávacan there
were a few years ago as many as sixty priests, diviners, and
medicine-men, Ahgih, Ahqixb, and Ahqahb, as they used to be termed,
who exercised their offices among them. At Coban, says Villagutierre,
a priest was so highly respected that the person who presumed to touch
him was expected to fall dead immediately.[XI-76]
* * * * *
[Sidenote: GODS OF THE NICARAGUANS.]
The Nahua impress, noticeable in the languages and customs of
Nicaragua, is still more strongly marked in the mythology of that
country.[XI-77] Instead of obliterating the older forms of worship,
however, as it seems to have done in the northern part of Central
America, it has here and there passed by many of the distinct beliefs
held by different tribes, and blended with the chief element of a
system which is traced to the Muyscas in South America. The inquiries
instituted by a Spanish friar among different classes of people in the
Nagrando district go to prove that Tamagostat[XI-78] and Cipattonal,
male and female deities who inhabit the regions of the rising sun,
were the supreme beings. They created all things, stars as well as
mortals, and re-created what had been destroyed by the flood, in which
work they were aided by Ecalchot, surnamed Huehue, 'the aged,' and
Ciagat 'the little.' In Tamagostat Müller at once recognizes Fomagata,
the ancient sun-god of the Muyscas, who after his dethronement by a
newer solar deity became more particularly the fire-god of that
people, but retained more of his original preëminence in the countries
to which his worship spread, as in Nicaragua. This view is supported
by the statement that he inhabited the heavens above, or rather the
region of sunrise. His consort Cipattonal, Müller, judging from their
relationship, holds to be the moon; her name seems however, to be
derived from a Mexican source, probably from _xipalli_, 'dark blue
color,' and _tonalli_, 'sun,'[XI-79] which may be construed as referring
to the sun in its blue element, or, as the fainter sun, to the moon.
In either case the connection of the two is perfectly legitimate.
Ecalchot, who is represented as a young man, yet is surnamed 'the
aged,' seems to be the same as the Mexican Ehecatl, 'wind, air,' an
element ever young, yet ever old, and Ciagat may mean 'moisture;'[XI-80]
both forming with the sun the fertilizing forces that create.[XI-81]
Oviedo gives the names of these deities as Tamagostat or Tamagostad,
Zipattoval or Zipattonal, Calchithuehue, and Chicoziagat,[XI-82]
'father.' He further names Chiquinaut and Hecat as gods of the winds,
which seems to be merely another version of Chicoziagat and
Ehecatl.[XI-83]
The Guatemalan trinity reappears in the character of Omeyateite and
Omeyatezigoat[XI-84]--easily recognizable in the Mexican Ometecutli and
Omecihuatl--and their son Ruiatcot, the rain god,[XI-85] who sends forth
thunder, lightning and rain. They are also supposed to live where the
sun rises, doubtless because that seems the abode of bliss, and as
fertilizing forces they are regarded as creators, but not connected
with the two before mentioned. Quiateot was the most prominent, if not
the supreme, member of the trinity, for the other two, as representing
the thunder and lighting, the forerunners, or parents, of the showers,
do not seem to have been invoked when rain was wanted, or to have
participated in the sacrifices of young boys and girls offered on such
occasions.[XI-86]
[Sidenote: THE GODDESS OF THE VOLCANO.]
The Nicaraguans had other deities presiding over the elements,
seasons, and necessaries of life. Thus, Macat and Toste, also written
Mazat and Teotost,[XI-87] the deer and rabbit, were gods of the chase.
When a deer was killed, the hunter placed the head in a basket in his
house, and regarded it as the representation of the god.[XI-88] Mixcoa
was the god invoked by the traders, and those about to make purchases;
Cacaguat was the patron of cacao-culture; Miquetanteot, god of hades,
was evidently the same as Mictlantecutli of Mexico; there were,
besides, others whose names have been given to the days of the month.
In Martiari the chief deity was called Tipotani. In Nicaragua proper,
they adored Tomaoteot, 'the great god,' whose son Teotbilche was sent
down to mankind. This looks like another Christ-myth, especially when
we read of attendant angels who had wings and flew about in heaven.
The names of the two chief angels were Taraacazcati and
Tamacaztobal.[XI-89] The Dirans revered in particular the goddess of the
volcano Masaya; for her they placed food on the brink of the crater,
into which they cast human beings, especially when she manifested her
anger by earthquakes. On such occasions the chiefs and priests, who
alone were permitted to look into the seething abyss, went to the
summit and called upon the genius, who issued from the lake of fire in
the form of an old woman and instructed them what to do. She is
described as a naked, dark-skinned hag, with hanging breasts, scanty
hair, long, sharp teeth, and sunken glaring eyeballs. The gods were
invested with all the peculiarities of humanity, formed of flesh and
blood, and lived on the food provided for man, besides blood and
incense. They also appeared on earth dressed like the natives, but
since the death of the cacique Xostoval these visits ceased.[XI-90] They
were personified by idols of stone, clay, or wood, called
_teobat_,[XI-91] whose forms their forefathers had transmitted; to them
were brought offerings of food and other things, which were taken in
at the door of the temple by boys serving there, for none except the
consecrated were allowed to enter the sanctuary.[XI-92] To encourage the
piety that prompted these offerings, the priests never failed to
remind the people of the punishment inflicted on the inhabitants of
the ancient capital of Nagrando, who having given themselves up to the
pursuit of pleasure, and neglected the gods, were one night swallowed
up, not a vestige of their city being left.[XI-93] The most acceptable
offering was, of course, human blood. At certain times the favorite
idol was set on a spear and planted in an open place amid gorgeously
adorned attendants holding banners, and flowers. Here the priests
gashed their tongues, and other parts, smearing the face of the image
with the blood that flowed, while the devout approached to whisper
their desires into the ear of the idol. Songs, dances, and games
attended these ceremonies.
Before each temple was a conic or pyramidal mound of adobe, called
_tescuit_, or _tezarit_, ascended by an interior staircase.[XI-94] From
its summit, upon which there was room for about ten men to stand, the
priest proclaimed the nature of the approaching festival, and the kind
of sacrifice to be made, and here, upon a stone block, the victims,
generally captives and slaves, had their hearts cut out, after which
they were decapitated, the body to be cut up and prepared for the
grand banquets, while the head, if that of a captive, was hung on a
tree near the temple, a particular tree being reserved for each tribe
from whom the victims were captured. The most prized victims were
young boys and girls, who were brought up by the chiefs for the
purpose and treated with great care and respect wherever they went,
for they were supposed to become deified after death and to exercise
great influence over the affairs of life. Women, who were held to be
unworthy to perform any duty in connection with the temples, were
immolated outside the temple ground of the large sanctuaries, and even
their flesh was unclean food for the high-priest, who accordingly ate
only of the flesh of males.[XI-95]
Fasts and baptismal rites, so prominent hitherto, do not appear to
have been practiced in Nicaragua. A kind of sacrament was
administered, however, by means of maize sprinkled with blood drawn
from the generative organs, and confession was a recognized
institution. The confessor was chosen from among the most aged and
respected citizens; a calabash suspended from the neck was his badge
of office. He was required to be a man of blameless life, unmarried,
and not connected with the temple. Those who wished to confess went to
his house, and there standing with humility before him unburdened
their conscience. The confessor was forbidden to reveal any secret
confided to him in his official capacity, under pain of punishment.
The penance he imposed was generally some kind of labor to be
performed for the benefit of the temple. Boys did not confess, but
seem to have reserved the avowal of their peccadillos for maturer
age.[XI-96]
[Sidenote: PRIESTS OF NICARAGUA.]
The office of high-priest was held by the caciques, who each in his
turn left home and occupation and removed to the chief temple, there
to remain for a year attending to religious matters and praying for
the people. At the expiration of the term he received the honorable
distinction of having his nose perforated. Subordinate duties were
performed by boys. In the inferior temples other classes entered for a
year's penance, living like the chief in strict seclusion, except at
festivals perhaps, seeing none but the boys who brought food from
their homes. The ordinary priests were called _tamagast_[XI-97] and
lived on the offerings made to the idols, and perhaps by their own
exertions, for the temples had no fixed revenues.[XI-98] They had
sorcerers, _texoxes_, who sometimes caused the death of children by
merely looking at them, and who could assume animal forms, for which
reasons they were much feared by the people. To strengthen this belief
they at times disguised themselves in skins of beasts.[XI-99] In
Honduras the idea of a Supreme Being and Creator was connected with a
worship of the sun, moon, and stars, to which the people made
sacrifices.[XI-100] Near Truxillo were three chief temples[XI-101] in
one of which was a chalchiuite in the form of a woman, to which the
people prayed, and which answered them through the priests.
Preparatory to any important undertaking, cocks, dogs, or even men,
were sacrificed to secure the favor of the gods. In each of the
sanctuaries presided a _papa_, or chief priest, to whom the education
of the sons of the nobles was entrusted. These were unmarried men,
distinguished by long hair reaching to the waist, though in some
places they wound it round the head in plaits. Their sanctity and
superior knowledge gave them great influence, and their advice was
sought on all affairs of importance by the principal men, for none
else dared to approach them. There were also sorcerers who could
assume animal forms, in which guise they went about devouring men and
spreading diseases.[XI-102]
[Sidenote: THE MOSQUITO PANTHEON.]
Among the barbarians of the Mosquito Coast, we find, of course, a much
lower order of belief, and one which calls to mind the ghouls and
ghosts of Californian mythology. The natives acknowledged a good
spirit or principle, to which they gave no definite name[XI-103] and
rendered no homage, for there was no necessity, they said, to pray to
one who always did good; as for thanking him for mercies received,
such an idea seems never to have occurred to them. In fact, they had
neither temples nor idols, and the only ceremonies that partook of a
religious character were the conjurations of their _sukias_, or
sorceresses, who were constantly engaged in breaking the spells of
evil spirits, with which the people's fancy, excited by grewsome
stories told round the camp-fire, had filled every dark and dismal
place, every stream and mountain top. These gnomes were known by the
name of Wulasha,[XI-104] and were supposed to issue from their
hiding-places, especially at night, to do all manner of evil; they
were especially addicted to carrying off solitary wanderers; it was,
therefore, say the chroniclers, almost impossible to induce a native
to go out alone after dark.
Amid the underwood and fallen trees about the sources of rivers, big
snakes were thought to dwell. These monsters were assisted by a
resistless upward current and a strong wind which swept the unwary
boatman within the reach of the red jaws and slimy folds. Patook,
among other rivers, had this bad reputation, and a white man who
despite the warnings of the natives started to explore its mysteries,
returned in a few days with the story that his progress had been
opposed by a big white cock. Leewa[XI-105] was the name of the water
spirit, who sucked the bather into pools and eddies and sent forth
devastating waterspouts and hurricanes. Wihwin, a spirit having the
appearance of a horse,[XI-106] with tremendous teeth to devour human
prey, haunted the hills during the summer, but retired with the winter
to the sea, whence he originally issued. In mountain caves, guarded by
fierce white boars, lived the patron deity of the _warrees_, the wild
pigs of the country, of childish form but immense strength, who
directed the movements of the droves. There were, besides, certain
venomous lizards, who after biting a man ran immediately to the
nearest water: if the wounded person did the same and succeeded in
reaching the water first, he was saved, and the lizard died; otherwise
the man was doomed.[XI-107] The Sukias who were called upon to exorcise
these malignant beings on every occasion of sickness, or misfortune,
were generally old hags, supposed to have a compact with the evil one,
in whose name they exacted half their fee before commencing their
enchantments. The Caribs held regular meetings or festivals to
propitiate these spirits, and the Woolwas, who seem to have had many
religious forms in common with the Nicaraguans, had "dances with the
gods."[XI-108]
* * * * *
[Sidenote: GODS OF THE ISTHMIANS.]
Among the Isthmians several forms of worship appear, that in the
vicinity of Panamá resembling the system prevalent in Hayti and Cuba,
says Gomara.[XI-109] The heavenly bodies seem to have been very generally
adored, especially in the northern part of the Isthmus, where all good
things were thought to come from the sun and moon, which were
considered as man and wife; but no accounts are given of temples, or
forms of worship, except that prayers were addressed to the sun.[XI-110]
The most prominent personage in the Isthmian pantheon was Dabaiba, a
goddess who controlled the thunder and lightning, and with their aid
devastated the lands of those who displeased her. In South America,
thunder and lightning were held to be the instruments used by the sun
to inflict punishment upon its enemies, which makes it probable that
Dabaiba was a transformed sun-goddess. Pilgrims resorted from afar to
her temple at Urabá, bringing costly presents and human victims, who
were first killed and then burned, that the savory odors of roasting
flesh might be grateful in the delicate nostrils of the goddess. Some
describe her as a native princess, whose reign was marked by great
wisdom and many miracles, and who was apotheosized after death. She
was also honored as the mother of the Creator, the maker of the sun,
the moon, and all invisible things, and the sender of blessings, who
seems to have acted as mediator between the people and his mother, for
their prayers for rain were addressed to him, although she is
described as controlling the showers, and once when her worship was
neglected she inflicted a severe drought upon the country.
When the needs of the people were very urgent, the chiefs and priests
remained in the temple fasting and praying with uplifted hands; the
people meanwhile observed a four-days fast, lacerating their bodies
and washing their faces, which were at other times covered with paint.
So strict was this fast that no meat or drink was to be touched until
the fourth day, and then only a soup made from maize-flour. The
priests themselves were sworn to perpetual chastity and abstinence,
and those who went astray in these matters were burned or stoned to
death. Their temples were encompassed with walls and kept scrupulously
clean; golden trumpets, and bells with bone clappers summoned the
people to worship.[XI-111]