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Archaeological excavations in Mexico City discovered the external facade and the east side of the tzompantli, the tower of human skulls erected during the Aztec empire, authorities reported this Friday.
This is the second finding around the tzompantli, from 4.7 meters diameter, after the structure was located in the archaeological works in August 2015 where the Great Temple of the Great Tenochtiltán was erected, the city of the Aztecs and today the center of the Mexican capital.
“In the eastern section of the tower, 119 human skulls have been superficially visualized, which are added to the 484 previously identified”, says a statement from the Ministry of Culture and the Institute of Anthropology.
In a video distributed by the authorities, numerous skulls are observed in a circular shape, joined by stone and earth, and it is possible to distinguish details of some.
The discovery of this structure, which is estimated to have been erected between 1486 and 1502, corresponds to accounts made about it by Spanish conquerors such as Hernán Cortés and Bernardo Díaz del Castillo.
The “tzompantli is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive archaeological finds in recent years in our country, as it is an important testimony of the power and greatness that Mexico-Tenochtitlan achieved,” said the Secretary of Culture, Alejandra Frausto.
The skulls correspond mostly to men, but female have also been identified and at least three of children on this face this.
According to the experts cited in the statement, this tzompantli is “A building of life more than death” since in Mesoamerica the sacrifice of human beings was a way to keep the gods alive and the continuity of existence.
But they recognize that also “It was a declaration of power and warlike principles” It is believed that some skulls belonged to enemy warriors and that the tzompantli was shown to the rivals of the Aztec empire as a form of warning.
The structure was erected in honor of Huitzilopochtli, the greatest Aztec deity.
Great Tenochtitlán was founded around 1325 by the Aztecs, who dominated numerous pre-Hispanic peoples until in 1521 they fell to the Spanish conquerors, who destroyed most of the last stage in the construction of the wall of skulls.
For decades, the historic center has been rich in archaeological finds, such as the majestic carved stone of the goddess Coyolxauhqui, discovered in 1978 when workers laid underground wiring.
Below the Metropolitan Cathedral there are remains of the Templo Mayor and the ball court. To one side the visitor can visit part of these vestiges.
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