2. Eating the God among the Aztecs
THE CUSTOM of eating bread sacramentally as the body of a god was
practised by the Aztecs before the discovery and conquest of Mexico
by the Spaniards. Twice a year, in May and December, an image of the
great Mexican god Huitzilopochtli or Vitzilipuztli was made of
dough, then broken in pieces, and solemnly eaten by his worshippers.
The May ceremony is thus described by the historian Acosta: "The
Mexicans in the month of May made their principal feast to their god
Vitzilipuztli, and two days before this feast, the virgins whereof I
have spoken (the which were shut up and secluded in the same temple
and were as it were religious women) did mingle a quantity of the
seed of beets with roasted maize, and then they did mould it with
honey, making an idol of that paste in bigness like to that of wood,
putting instead of eyes grains of green glass, of blue or white; and
for teeth grains of maize set forth with all the ornament and
furniture that I have said. This being finished, all the noblemen
came and brought it an exquisite and rich garment, like unto that of
the idol, wherewith they did attire it.
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