As part of a restoration project , archaeologists in Mexico City of late excavate a luck of Huei Tzompantli — an ancientAztectower , which sit below street degree . During the process , they excavate 119 human skull embedded in a rampart .
While definitely momentous , it ’s not whole surprising . AsScienceexplains , atzompantliis essentially a elephantine single-foot that the Aztec used to expose skulls from human sacrifice and prisoners of war . In the five years since Huei Tzompantli was first get a line , researchers have already counted 484 skull within the anatomical structure , which was likely built sometime between 1486 and 1502.According toCNN , there are female and male skull in this latest collection , and at least three of the victims were children .
“ Although we ca n’t determine how many of these individuals were warriors , perhaps some were captive destined for sacrificial ceremony , ” archeologist Raúl Barrera Rodríguez read in apress release . “ We do get laid that they were all made hallowed … turn into gifts for the God or even personifications of deities themselves . ”
Though ritualistic sacrifice seems macabre by today ’s standards , ancient civilizations like the Aztecconsideredit an absolute necessity to sustain the gods — who would , in round , allow humans to keep populate , too . In other words , showcasing large numbers of sacrificed skull in tzompantlis symbolized the military posture of life more than any revulsion of death . This distinction was lose on — or intentionally ignored by — the Spanish conquistadors , who saw human sacrifice only as a savage pattern and used it as one excuse to destroy the city of Tenochtitlan ( part of mod - sidereal day Mexico City ) in 1521 .
By studying these additional 119 skulls , researchers are better equipped to bring out new detail about the construction , history , and social importance of Huei Tzompantli and other structures like it .
[ h / tCNN ]
