adorned with plumes of feathers; immense quantities of bows, arrows, darts,
and slings; lances having stone heads or blades six feet long, so strong
as not to break when fixed in a shield, and as sharp as razors; clubs or
two-handed swords, having edges of sharp stones; and many other articles
which I cannot enumerate. In the palace there was a magnificent aviary,
containing every kind of bird to be found in all the surrounding country,
from large eagles down to the smallest paroquets of beautiful plumage. In
this place the ornamental feather-work so much in repute among the
Mexicans, was fabricated, the feathers for this purpose being taken from
certain birds called _Quetzales_, and others, having green, red, white,
yellow, and blue feathers, about the size of our Spanish pyes, the name of
which I have forgot. There were also great numbers of parrots, and geese
of fine plumage; all these birds breeding in the royal aviary, and being
annually stripped of their feathers at the proper season, to supply the
workers in feather-work. There was likewise a large pond of clear water,
in which were kept a number of large birds of a red colour with very long
legs, resembling those called _Ipiris_ in Cuba, and called flamingos by
the Spaniards. In another great building we saw a temple dedicated to the
war gods, in which were kept great numbers of ferocious beasts, as tigers,
lions of two species, one of which called _Adive_ resembled a wolf; also
foxes, and other smaller animals, all of them carnivorous. Most of these
were bred in this menagerie, and were fed upon game, fowls, and dogs, and,
as I was informed, on the bodies of the sacrificed human victims. Their
manner of sacrifice was said to be as follows: They open the breasts of
the living victim with large stone knives, offering his heart and blood to
their gods; they feast on the head and limbs, giving the bodies to be
devoured by the wild beasts, and hanging up the skulls in the temples as
trophies of their misguided piety. In this place likewise there were many
vipers and serpents, the most dangerous of which have a kind of rattle on
their tails, making a noise like our castanets. These are kept in vessels