Remains of Aztec skull tower discovered

The discovery was made in Mexico City near the Templo Mayor, one of the most important religious buildings in the Aztec capitalów – Tenochtitlán, on whichórej ruins were built on today’s Mexican capital. More than 650 whole skulls and thousands of fragments were found at the archaeological siteóin the bones of the skulls filling the cylindrical building. Researchers say that as the excavation of the skulls progresses, there will be many more.

Scientists believe that it is part of the so-called. Tzompantli – constructions for public display of skulls of prisoners of waróin the sacrificed. These types of structures have been encountered before by archaeologistóIn researching American pre-Columbian cultures. They can also be found in drawings and accounts dating from the period of the conquest of Mexico by Spanish troops. They caused fear among theód conquistadorów. This is mentioned in their records.

Macabre discovery of tower of human skulls raises questions about tradition and ritualóAztec culture. The find was made near the largest Aztec religious structureów, where human sacrifices are known to have been made. Therefore, the discovery of the cluster of skulls should not come as a surprise. But among theód skulls were found róAlso skulls of women and children, which surprised researchers. This is because until now it was thought that the skulls on display at Tzompantli belonged to warriors of theóin whoóThose who died during inter-tribal fighting even before the arrival of the Hern armyáOn Cortésa.

– We expected to find only the skulls of men. Of course, young men, warriorów. Because, after all, women and children did not go to war – said Rodrigo Bolanos, an anthropologist studying the find. – We do not have a messageów on this subject. This is new to us – added.

The unearthed tower is about six meters highóin diameter. It is believed to have stood on the corner of the shrine of the Aztec god of sun, war and human sacrifice, Huitzilopochtli. It was the most important bóAztec creatureów. The base of the shrine has not yet been discovered.

– There is no doubt that this tower was one of the structures mentioned by a Spanish soldier named Andres de Tapia, który accompanied Cortés in the bloody conquest of Mexico in 1521 – stated Raul Barrera, one of the archaeologistsóin those working at the site. In his notes, the soldier wrote that he saw a structure with tens of thousands of human skulls.

Before the arrival of Cort’s troops in Mexicoésa in 1519, the population there numbered about 25 millionów. One hundred years póThe source was later left with only one million. The population was decimated by the conquistador’s armies, but mostly by epidemics. Spaniards brought diseases with them, for which theóre themselves were immune, but the local population no longer.