In conformity with the vileness and degraded character of the gods, were the cruelty and barbarity of the sacrifices of that ancient idolatry. For, besides ordinary things such as animals and maize, they sacrificed men and women of all ages, being captives taken in wars which they made against each other. In some provinces their cruelty was so great that it exceeded that of wild beasts. Not content with sacrificing their captive enemies, they offered up their own children on certain occasions. The manner of this sacrifice of men, women, and children was that they opened their breasts while they were yet alive, and took out the heart and lungs. They then anointed the idol with the warm blood, thinking that the idol had ordered the sacrifice to be made. Presently they watched the omens in the same heart and lungs, to see if the sacrifice had been accepted or not; and, whether or not, they burnt the offering of heart and lungs before the idol, until it was consumed, and ate the sacrificed Indian with great relish and delight, and not less rejoicing, even though it might be their own child.

The Father Bias Valera, as appears in many parts of his torn papers, had the same design as ourselves in many of the things that he wrote; such as to divide the periods, epochs, and provinces, so as to make more clear the customs which each nation had.