CHAPTER 23

HOW THE DEVIL HAS TRIED TO MIMIC THE SACRAMENTS OF HOLY CHURCH

What is most astonishing about Satan's envy and desire to compete with God is that not only in idolatries and sacrifices but also in certain kinds of ceremonies he has mimicked our sacraments, which our Lord instituted and his Holy Church employs, especially the sacrament of communion, the loftiest and most divine of them all. He tried in a certain sense to imitate it, to the great delusion of the heathen, and does so as follows: in the first month, which in Peru is called raymi and corresponds to our December, a very solemn festival was held called capacraymi, and during it great sacrifices and ceremonies were performed for many days, in which no forastero, or outsider, could remain at the court, which was in Cuzco. At the end of these days permission was granted for all outsiders to reenter the city, and they were made participants in the festival and sacrifices, being offered communion in the following form: the priestesses of the sun, who were like nuns of the sun, made small loaves of maize flour tinged and kneaded with the blood of white sheep that had been sacrificed that day. Then they ordered the strangers from every province to enter, and they lined up in order, and the priests, who were of a certain lineage and descendants of lluquiyupangui, gave each one a mouthful of these loaves, telling them that they were offered in order that they be confederated and united with the Inca, and they were warned not to speak or think ill of the Inca but always to have good intentions toward him, for that mouthful would be a witness of their intentions; and if they did not do as they should it would be discovered and would cause them to be attacked. These loaves were brought out on large gold and silver plates appointed for this purpose, and all received and ate those mouthfuls, giving fervent thanks to the sun for this great boon, speaking words and making gestures of great contentment and devotion; and they protested that they would never do or think anything against the sun or the Inca for the rest of their lives and that they received the food of the sun on that condition, and that such food would remain in their bodies as witness of the faith they kept to the sun and to the Inca their king. This diabolical form of communion was also administered in the tenth month, called coyaraymi, which was September, in the solemn festival that they call citua, using the same ceremony; and in addition to taking communion (if this word can be used of such a diabolical thing) those loaves were also sent to all the huacas, or sanctuaries, or to other idols all over the realm, and people gathered from every place to receive them at the same time, and they were told that the sun had sent them that food as a sign that he wished all people to venerate and honor him; and some was also sent as a favor to the chiefs. Some may think that this is a tale or an invention; but indeed it is very certain that beginning with the Inca Yupanqui, the one who made the most laws concerning rites and ceremonies (as Numa did in Rome), this kind of communion lasted up to the time during which the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ did away with all these superstitions, offering the true bread of life that joins souls together and unites them with God. And if anyone wishes to satisfy himself more fully let him read the account that Licentiate Polo wrote to the Archbishop of Los Reyes, Don Jeronimo de Loaiza, and he will find this and many other things that Polo ascertained with great diligence and accuracy.