Forensic Anthropology - Blog Posts

Feeding the gods: Hundreds of skulls reveal massive scale of human sacrifice in Aztec capital.

Fun Fact: The obsidian blade used during the rituals are sharper than today’s surgical steel.

The image below shows a reconstruction of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztecs. Templo Mayor is the pyramid seen center-back, with two temples on top. One temple was dedicated to the war god, Huitzilopochtli, and the other to the rain god, Tlaloc.

Image Source: Rosemania. Reconstruction of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztecs - the centre of modern Mexico City. (National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico City). Wikimedia Commons.

The enormous rack of skulls called, Tzompantli, was built in front of the Templo Mayor pyramid. The Mexica people performed human sacrifices to feed the gods. The Aztecs made up the majority of the Mexica people. To them, the skulls would guarantee the sustained continuation of humanity.

There are numerous depictions of tzompantli in Aztec codices. Here is one taken from the 16th Century Aztec manuscript, Codex Duran.  Image source: Public Domain.

The Spanish conquistadors marched into Tenochtitlan in 1519. The Spanish saw the skulls and the practice of human sacrifice as barbaric. In 1521 the Templo Mayor was torn down, and the tzompantli paved over. The ruins are underneath of what is known today as Mexico City. Archaeologists are currently studying the skulls to learn about rituals and the postmortem handling of those that were sacrificed.

Tibetan Burial Practice

Image Source: FishOil at English Wikipedia. Body being prepared, Sichuan. Wikipedia.

The “Sky Burial” practice is the most common way to dispose of the dead in Tibet. Tibet is a region with little trees, which in return means fewer cremation practices. Due to temperature, the Tibetan plateau is frozen making burials difficult. With these challenges, the Tibetan people found a solution. Bearded vultures are naturally allowed to eat the decomposing human remains. These birds are considered sacred for Tibetans, and not to be harmed.

Image Source: FishOil at English Wikipedia. File:Vulture - Sky burial.jpg. Wikipedia.

Upon death, he/she gets covered in white cloth. The family keeps the remains in the home and perform prayers. On a lucky day, family members will take the dead to a place of disposition. A monk/specialist will sharpen a knife while saying a prayer. The monk/specialist will cut the flesh, and pulverize the bones to mix with flour for the bearded vultures to consume. Tibetans consider it a sign of good luck when vultures consume the entire body. Tibetans believe that breaking the bones will release the soul. Tibetans also believe that vultures carry these pieces of bone to the sky where the journey heaven begins. No remains left on the ground means the soul arrived safely to heaven. Chants are said over lingering remains as they get cremated.

Image Source: BabelStone. Vultures feeding on the rock used to expose bodies at a sky burial outside Lhasa, Tibet, during the first lunar month, March 1985. Photographs of the sky burial taken with permission of the participants, on condition that no photographs were taken before the vultures were called to eat the bodies of the three deceased persons. Photo scanned from a print. Wikipedia.

Politics. During the 1960s and 1970s, the communist officials outlawed the practice of sky burial. The sky burial practice reinstated in the 1980s.

Another form of Tibetan burial is Tree Burial. This is a burial practice for children. It is usually practiced in Nyingchi, southeast of Tibet. To avoid other children from seeing the corpse, the deceased child is placed in a wooden case. The crate with the body inside is hung on a tree in a remote forest.

Forensic anthropologists must learn of cultural ceremonies associated with death, not only for reference but also as recognition of ethics and values concerning anthropology.

Image Source: Polygondata from BodyParts3D made by DBCLS. Neurocranium (red) and facial bones (blue). Wikimedia Commons.

The facial skeleton/viscerocranium (blue) is made up of 14 bones.

Nasal (2)

Lacrimal (2)

Palatine (2)

Inferior Nasal Concha (2)

Zygomatic (2)

Vomer

Maxilla (2)

Mandible

The braincase/neurocranium (red) is made up of 8 bones,.

Frontal

Sphenoid

Parietal (2)

Ethmoid

Temporal (2)

Occipital

Note:

Cranium = all the bones of the head excluding the mandible.

Skull = all the bones of the head including the mandible.