File:The myths of Mexico and Peru (1913) (14781750654).jpg

Identifier: mythsofmexicoper01spen (find matches)
Title: The myths of Mexico and Peru
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Spence, Lewis, 1874-1955
Subjects: Indians of Mexico Indian mythology Indians of Mexico Indians of South America Indian mythology Indians of South America
Publisher: New York, T. Y. Crowell company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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could obtain no other means ofsubsistence than that afforded by the vocation of whichhe was tutelar and patron. He was represented asa man painted black, his head decorated with theplumes of native wild birds, and crowned by a papercoronet in the shape of a rose. He was clad ingreen paper which fell to the knee, and was shod withwhite sandals. In his left hand he held a shieldpainted red, having in the centre a white flower withfour petals placed crosswise, and in his right hand heheld a sceptre in the form of a cup. Yacatecutii Yacatecutli was the patron of travellers of themerchant class, who worshipped him by piling theirstaves together and sprinkling on the heap blood fromtheir noses and ears. The staff of the traveller was hissymbol, to which prayer was made and offerings offlowers and incense tendered. The Aztec Priesthood The Aztec priesthood was a hierarchy in whose handsresided a goodly portion of the power of the upperclasses, especially that connected with education and114
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Mexican Goddess Photo C, B. Waite, Mexico 114 EDUCATION endowment. The mere fact that its members possessedthe power of selecting victims for sacrifice must havebeen sufficient to place them in an almost unassailableposition, and their prophetic utterances, founded uponthe art of divination—so great a feature in the lifeof the Aztec people, who depended upon it from thecradle to the grave—probably assisted them in main-taining their hold upon the popular imagination. Butwithal the evidence of unbiased Spanish ecclesiastics,such as Sahagun, tends to show that they utilised theirinfluence for good, and soundly instructed the peopleunder their charge in the cardinal virtues ; in short,says the venerable friar, to perform the duties plainlypointed out by natural religion. Pfiestly Revenues The establishment of the national religion was, as inthe case of the mediaeval Church in Europe, based upona land tenure from which the priestly class deriveda substantial though, considering their

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