The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

1/25/22, 8:50 PM The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo written by himself, containing a true an…
descendants possess. Thesame thing was done after the conquest of Granada and Naples by
thegreat captain. The noble house of Orange originated in a similarmanner.
But we added the immense territory of New Spain to the Spanish crown, without his
majesty knowing anything about it; and it is forthis reason I have written these memoirs,
that the great, important, and excellent services which we have rendered to God, our
emperor, and to the whole of Christendom, may become known; and I think, when
everything is put into the same scale, and weighed according to its quantity, we shall be
found equally deserving of remuneration as thosecavaliers of previous times.
[Pg 388]
Though the number of courageous soldiers enumerated in a formerchapter may have been
considerable, yet I myself was not one of the least among them, and I had always the
reputation of being a good soldier. If the curious reader has perused this history with
attention,he will have seen in how many severe battles I fought, both during thetwo first
voyages of discovery, and in the campaigns under Cortes, inNew Spain; how nearly I was
killed on two different occasions, andonly escaped by the utmost exertion of my strength
from being sacrificed to the abominable idols; not to mention the dreadful hardships I
suffered from hunger, thirst, and cold, and the many perils to whichthose who go out for the
discovery of new countries are inevitablyexposed.
I will now relate the great advantages which Spain has derived from our illustrious
conquests.
CHAPTER CCVIII.
Of the human sacrifices and abominations practised by the inhabitantsof New
Spain; how we abolished these, and introduced the holyChristian faith into
the country.
After thus describing our glorious deeds of arms, I will show how advantageous they
proved in the service of God and of our emperor.These advantages were purchased with the
lives of most of my companionsin arms, for very few had the good fortune to escape being
capturedand sacrificed by the Indians.
I will commence with the human sacrifices and the other abominations which were
practised throughout the whole of the provinces wesubdued. According to the computations
of the Franciscan monks,who arrived in New Spain subsequent to father Olmedo, above
2500persons were annually sacrificed to the idols in Mexico, and some ofthe towns lying
on the lake. [60] As this barbarous custom was also prevalentin all the other provinces, the
number, of course, is much greater. But these human sacrifices were not the only
abominations that were practised by the inhabitants; I should, however, scarcely know
whereto end, if I were to enumerate them all. I will, therefore, only relatewhat I witnessed
with my own eyes, and heard with my own ears. Ofthe victims that were sacrificed, the
faces, ears, tongues, lips, the breast,the arms and legs, were brought as a burnt-offering to
the idols.
[Pg 389]
In some provinces circumcision took place, which was effected bymeans of sharp knives
made of flint. The cursed idol temples were called cues, and were as numerous as the
churches, chapels, and monasteriesin Spain. Every township had its own temples, and these
infernal buildings were filled with demons and diabolical-looking figures. Besides these,
every Indian man and woman had two altars, one nearto where they slept, and the other
near the door of the house. Inthese were placed several wooden boxes, which they termed
petacas,full of small and large idols, flint knives used in the sacrifices, and booksmade of
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