. The earth and its inhabitants .. . gradually imposed a religion of blood on the whole Nahua nation. Not the symbol of life, represented by the first-fruits of the earth, but life itself has now to be incessantly offered on the altars of the gods. Even when corn was presented it had first to be reduced to a paste, kneaded with the blood of children and maidens ; a dough was also prepared from the ashes of the fathers mingled with the flesh of their offspring. To appease the wrath of the wicked gods, to avert the evil machinations of the

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Keywords: ., bookauthor, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectgeography