Mexican archaeologists have discovered 119 skulls in a mass Aztec burial that belonged to victims of a ritual murder committed in Tenochtitlan. A new find reported in a press release at Phys.org.
During a five-year excavation in the vicinity of the Templo Major temple complex, scientists have found 603 skulls, dated 1486-1502. The remains, found three meters under a city street, belonged to women and children. The Aztecs built from the skulls of sacrificed people “tsompantli” – a rack of severed heads, which were pierced from the side with wooden poles. Tsompantli were considered a symbol of prestige of the Aztec capital.
The difference between the discovered tsompantli and other similar structures is that part of the platform was built in the form of a circle, and all the skulls looked at the same point. However, scientists do not know what could be in the center of the circle.
Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) was founded in 1325 AD and is considered the largest city on Earth at that time with a population of up to 500 thousand people. It was destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortez in 1521.