The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 31, July 1927 - April, 1928 Page: 158
390 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
CHAPTER X
Continuation of the Subject Matter of the Previous Chapter Touch-
ing the Superstitions and Idolatries of the Asinais5
According to the judgment of Clement Alexander, these pagans
-with whom nature has been prodigal, giving them good disposi-
tions and fine looks, although they are degenerate in their customs
and are deformed in their hearts--are like the temples of the
Egyptians whose outside walls are adorned with beautifully painted
stones and within whose structure much beauty and adornment is
found. But, if one examine the interior of the temple, he will
not find God, however diligently he may seek Him, but only a
crocodile, a serpent, or some other noxious animal unworthy of
the temple and more suited to have his dwelling place in an under-
ground den. So are these Indians whom God has created with
good features but within whose souls is not reflected the beautiful
image of God who considers them his children. They neither
know him nor adore him, but in his place, they have as gods, lions,
bears, monkeys, and other unnatural representations of the devil
whom they adore and worship in their hearts. So I feel com-
passion for the Asinais Indians and the numerous other nations
who are located on this northern frontier, because, as a general
rule, they are well made and much whiter than the Mexicans and
the Tlascaltecans. They are naturally civilized and have good
minds; but all these gifts are disfigured by their great idolatries
and the superstitions with which the devil has deceived them.
These false beliefs are handed down from father to son, for even
the little children, as soon as reason dawns, are instructed in the
superstitions of their elders, I was surprised to hear them recite
the rites and superstitions in which their parents had reared them.
Throughout the whole Asinais nation, which is composed of more
than fourteen or fifteen divisions which speak the same dialect, the
belief prevails that there is a great captain up in the sky whom
they call caddi ayo, which means "the captain up above." They
say that he created everything; and in order that it may be shown
how disconnectedly they reason, they tell a story as follows: They
say that in the beginning of the world there was one woman only
who had two daughters, one a maiden, the other not, without there"Ibid., Chapter X.
158
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 31, July 1927 - April, 1928, periodical, 1928; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101088/m1/170/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.