some
chief, they called it "the feast of the great god." The method of
celebrating it was near the house of the chief, in a leafy bower
which they erected especially for that purpose, hung round about
with hangings in their fashion, namely, the Moorish, which were made
from odds and ends of pieces, of various colors. The guests assembled
there, and the sacrifice having been prepared (on those occasions of
a feast usually some good fat pig), the catalona ordered the girl of
the best appearance and who was best adorned, to give the spear-thrust
to the animal, amid the ceremony of certain dances of theirs. When the
animal was dead it was cut into bits and divided among all the people,
as is the blessed bread. Although other animals were killed and eaten,
and other viands and refreshments peculiar to those people were used,
that animal was the one esteemed and was reverently consumed. The
chief part of the feast was the drinking, accompanied, as ever,
with much music and dancing.

109. If the sacrifice was because of the danger of death in the
house of sickness, the minister ordered that a new, large, and
capacious house be built at the expense of the sick person, in which
to celebrate the feast. That work was performed in a trice, as the
materials were at hand and all the neighbors took part in it. When
it was finished, the sick person was taken to the new lodging. Then
preparing the intended sacrifice--a slave (which was their custom at
times), a turtle, a large shellfish, or a hog--without an altar or
anything resembling one, they placed it near the sick person, who
was stretched out on the floor of the house on a palm mat (which
they use as a mattress). They also set many small tables there,
laden with various viands. The catalona stepped out, and, dancing
to the sound of gongs, wounded the animal, and anointed with the
blood the sick person, as well as some of the bystanders. The animal
was then drawn slightly to one side and skinned and cleaned. After
that it was taken back to its first location, and the catalona there
before them all, spoke some words between her teeth while she opened
it, and took out and examined the entrails, in the manner of the
ancient soothsayers. Besides that the devil became incarnate in her,
or the catalona feigned to be him by grimaces, and shaking of the
feet and hands, and foamings at the mouth, acting as if out of her
senses. After she had returned to her senses, she prophesied to the