Chapter I: Introduction: Central America and Mexico. Their Common Bases

OF CIVILIZATION AND RELIGION.

PAGE

Importance of the history of Religion 1

The religions of Mexico and Peru, and the special importance
of studying them 7

Journey to another planet 8

Parallelism of religious history in the New World and in
the Old 9

Central America and Mexico, and the authorities as to their
history and religion 14

Area and general character of this civilization 18

The Mayas 20

Toltecs, Chichimecs and Aztecs 24

The Aztec empire 29

Character of the religious conceptions common to Central
America and Mexico 35

The serpent-god and the American cross 38

Estimate of the character and significance of the parallelisms
observed 39

LECTURE II.

THE DEITIES AND MYTHS OF MEXICO.

PAGE

The Sun and Moon 45

The pyramidal Mexican temples 47

The great temple of the city of Mexico 48

The narrative of Bernal Diaz; and the two great Aztec deities,
Uitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca 51

Mythical significance of Uitzilopochtli 54

Significance of Tezcatlipoca 60

The serpent-god Quetzalcoatl, god of the east wind 62

Netzalhuatcoyotl, the philosopher-king of Tezcuco 69

Number of Mexican deities 70

Tlaloc, god of rain 71

Centeotl, goddess of maize 72

Xiuhtecutli, god of fire 74

The Mexican Venus 75

Other deities 76

The Tepitoton 77

Mictlan, god of the dead 78

Summary and reflections 79

LECTURE III.

THE SACRIFICES, SACERDOTAL AND MONASTIC INSTITUTIONS, ESCHATOLOGY
AND COSMOGONY OF MEXICO.

PAGE

Recapitulation 85

Original meaning of sacrifice 86

Human sacrifices and cannibalism 87

Importance attached to the suffering of the victims 90

Tragic and cruel character of the Mexican sacrifices 91

The victims of Tezcatlipoca and Centeotl 93

The children of Tlaloc 96

The roasted victims of the god of fire 97

Mexican asceticism 99

Mexican "communion" 101

Religious ethics 102

The priesthood 106

Convents, monks and nuns of ancient Mexico 109

Mexican cosmogonies 112

The great jubilee 116

The future life 118

Conversion of the Mexicans 121

The Inquisition 122

Conclusion 123

LECTURE IV.

PERU.--ITS CIVILIZATION AND CONSTITUTION.--THE LEGEND OF THE
INCAS: THEIR POLICY AND HISTORY

PAGE

The Peru of the Incas 127

Cortes and Pizarro 131

The Inca hierocracy 132

The Quipos 134

Authorities for the history and religion of Peru 136

Garcilasso el Inca de la Vega 137

Peruvian civilization 139

Huayna Capac's taxation 142

Social, political and military organization of Peru 143

Education 152

Material well-being 153

The legend of the Incas: Manco Capac and Mama Ogllo 156

Were the Incas really the sole civilizers of Peru? 159

Succession of the Incas and character of their rule 160

Free-thinking Incas 161

Huayna Capac's departure from traditional maxims 166

LECTURE V.

THE FALL OF THE INCAS.--PERUVIAN MYTHOLOGY PRIESTHOOD.

PAGE

Recapitulation 171

Atahualpa and Pizarro 172

Father Valverde's discourse 174

Atahualpa's imprisonment and death 176

Inca pretenders 179

Worship of the Sun and Moon 182

Viracocha, god of fertilizing showers 184

His consort, Mama Cocha 186

Old Peruvian hymn 187

Pachacamac, god of internal fire 188

The myth of Pacari Tambo 191

Cuycha, the rainbow 194

Chasca, the planet Venus 194

Worship of fire 195

Worship of the thunder 196

Worship of esculent plants 197

Worship of animals 198

The Huacas 199

Peruvian priesthood 202

The Virgins of the Sun 204

Punishment of faithless nuns 206

Independent parallelisms, illustrated by the "couvade" 208

LECTURE VI.

PERUVIAN CULTUS AND FESTIVALS.--MORALS AND THE FUTURE
LIFE.--CONCLUSIONS.

PAGE

Peruvian temples 215

Sacrifices 218

Columns of the Sun 222

Hymns 223

Religious dances 224

The four great festivals 225

Chasing the evil spirit 227

Occasional and minor festivals 229

Eclipses 230

Sorcerers and priests 230

Moral significance of the Peruvian religion 232

Communion, baptism and sacerdotal confession 233

Various ideas as to the future life 235

Supay, the god of the departed 237

Conversion of the Peruvians 239

Are the origins of the American civilizations to be sought in
the Old World? 241

Real significance and importance of analogies observed 243

Sacrifice 245

Three stages of religious faith: animistic nature-worship,
anthropomorphic polytheism and spiritual monotheism 246

The genesis of the temple 249

Primitive independence and subsequent mutual interpenetration
of religion and morals 250

Human nature invincibly religious 252

The guiding principle 254

Farewell 255

ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA.

P. 16, _note_, under _Acosta_, add, "E[dward] G[rimstone]'s
translation was edited, with notes, for the Hakluyt Society, by
Clements R. Markham, in 1880."

P. 17, _note_, lines 4 and 5, to "English translation" add "in
epitome."

" lines 8 and 9, for "Ixtilxochitl" read "Ixtlilxochitl."

" line 7 from below, for "note" read "notes."

P. 32, line 10 from below, for "bases" read "basis."

P. 34, line 1, for "lama" read "llama."

P. 35, last line, insert "and" after "America."

P. 77, _note_, last line, for "caps." read "capp."

P. 92, line 9 from below, omit "to" before "which."

P. 113, _note_, last line, for "Chichemeca" read "Chichimeca."

P. 129, line 3, for "East to West" read "West to East."

P. 224, _note_, for "_Rivero y Tschudi_, l.c." read "_Rivero y
Tschudi_: Antigueedades Peruanas: Viena, 1851." N. B. An English
translation of this work by F. L. Hawks appeared at New York
in 1853.

LECTURE I.