Pure Horror! Skulls of Child Sacrifice Victims Discovered at the Ancient Aztec Temple in Mexico by Archaeologists

The researchers claim that the young boy may have been sacrificed in the late 15th century.

Representational Image of Aztec skull offering (Photo Credits: @MichaelESmith/ Twitter)

Archaeologists have come across a horrific discovery of the skulls to what they call as a child sacrifice victim at the foot of an ancient Aztec temple in Mexico. The startling finding of the victims' remains was made at the site of the Temple Mayor in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, which is now the centre of the Mexican capital, Mexico City. The researchers claim that the young boy may have been sacrificed in the late 15th century. Scientists came across this recent findings 12 years after the location of the first child sacrifice was found at the archaeological site.

Historians state that human sacrifice was a common practice in many parts of Mesoamerica. The rite was not new to the Aztecs when they arrived at the valley of Mexico. Symbols of Huitzilopochtli were found next to the skeleton which gave scientists a clear hint that the young boy may been slaughtered for the Mexican God of War. To be precise, in the Aztec religion, Huitzilopochtli is a deity of war, sun, human sacrifice and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. The Sun reported that the finding was named as “Offering 176”. The researchers revealed in the same report that to offer the remains of the child, the Aztecs had to raise a series of stone slabs from the floor and dig a pit in the ground.

They further built a cylindrical box in which the child was placed with stones of volcanic origin, stuck together with stucco. While explaining, one of the experts was quoted saying, “Then they filled the square with soil brought from the banks of the old lake to build another square on top of it.” Reports claim that the discovery came into the limelight after hundreds of skulls were recently found in Tenochtitlan. They are said to have been placed in the public display in ritual sacrifices. The city was the capital in the 15th century expanding the Aztec Empire until the Spanish captured it in 1521.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 24, 2018 03:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

Share Now

Share Now