ABSTRACT
THE witchcraft of the time of Sinchi Roca was directly caused by viciousness, as we have seen. They also used the wizards for foretelling the events of the future, and the secret method for learning certain events was to place in the fire a large flat earthenware vessel, which they call callana, containing a number of grains of maize of various colours, and each representing a person, in accordance with the name they gave it. The seer, after having put much coca and green tobacco in his mouth, and speaking between his teeth, asked it [what he wished to know], and he urged it to give its answer by means of shaking [the vessel and its contents]. As soon as the grains [of maize] began to be shaken, some flew away from others, or drew nearer together. And, if some grain failed to do what the seer commanded.
