Abstract

SOLARI, Ana. Cráneos de tzompantli bajo la Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México. Cuicuilco [online]. 2008, vol.15, n.42, pp.143-163. ISSN 0185-1659.

From the archaeological rescue carried out between years 1991 and 1996 by the Program of Urban Archaeology under the Cathedral of Mexico City and the Sagrario metropolitano, it has been possible to register and recover numerous remains from the old sacred city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. The results of investigations into a group of tzompantli skulls -skulls displaying drilling on their parietal and temporal bones as well as other traces of intentional manipulation, all proceeding from the excavation- are presented here. The further analysis, which took place at the Laboratory of Physical Anthropology of the Templo Mayor museum, taken in conjunction with the context where the skulls were found and with the use of archaeological and ethno-historical information, allowed to re-construct a possible ritual ceremony associated with the tzompantli. The succession of rites forming this ceremony begin with human sacrifices, moving through the placement of the skulls on the tzompantli and ending with the burial of the drilled beheaded skulls, as an offering to the mexica gods. The tzompantli is no longer seen purely as a structure where skulls that belonged to sacrificed individuals were displayed, but also as an integrated part of a complex mexica religious ritual ceremony.

Keywords : human skulls; metropolitan Cathedral; ritual ceremony; human sacrifices; tzompantli; offerings.

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