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Stone skull discovered on the archaeological site of Ndachjian-Tehuacan. Image: INAH
Archaeologists have discovered in Mexico a temple dedicated to Xipe Tótec, an Aztec deity badociated with the ritual practice of using the skins of sacrificed people – badociated with agriculture and war.
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The temple was discovered on the archaeological site of Ndachjian-Tehuacan in the Mexican state of Puebla, According to a press release published earlier this week by the National Institute of Anthropology and from the history of Mexico
archaeologists were already aware of the existence of Xipe Tótec, which can be translated by "Our Lord, the skiné" by means of historical reports and other Aztec representations, but he This is the first known structure dedicated to the worship of divinity.
Priests badociated with Xipe Tó tec probably used the skin of people sacrificed or offered to the deity.
According to archaeologists who have explored the site, the temple dates from the year 1000 to 1260 AD. The team was led by Noemi Castillo Tejero. The site was originally built by the Popoloca people, who settled in the area around the year 900. They were later integrated into the Aztec empire.
The temple Xipe Tótec in Ndachjian-Tehuacán. Among the artifacts badociated with Xipe Tótec, there was a pair of stone skulls, each measuring about 71 centimeters tall and weighing 200 pounds. We also found a stone torso, with an extra hand in the left arm. Archaeologists have stated that this extra hand symbolized the use of remains of individuals sacrificed by the deity.
"Sculpturally [o tronco] is a very beautiful piece," Tejero said in the press release. "It measures about 80 centimeters in height and has a hole in the belly that was used, according to the sources [históricas] to lay a green stone and" give them life "during the ceremonies."
the trunk with an additional hand extending to the left. Two circular altars were also found on the site, in a consistent orientation with the Aztec rituals of Xipe Tótec, according to information reported by Spanish settlers in early 1500.
The faithful of Xipe Tótec, according to this information, have used an arrow with an altar to kill their victims – usually prisoners of war. Some were already dead, with injuries indicating that they had beaten as gladiators. According to the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico, the second altar was used to skin the victims.
During the ritual called Tlacaxipehualiztli (which means "to use the skin of the skinning"), the priests adorned the skin of victims. The last stage of the ritual was to bury the skins at the foot of the altar. In fact, two tumuli consistent with the reports were found in the Ndachjian-Tehuacan Temple.
The exact reason for the occurrence of these ceremonies is not very clear, but it could be a kind of fertility ritual,
These stories and related evidence are fascinating and dark , but Rosemary Joyce, a professor of anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley who was not involved in research, told the New York Times
According to her, violent representations in the Aztec works and in the temple itself are not necessarily indicative of alleged religious practices.
"We are not looking at a Christian church and we think people are being crucified," she told the NYT. "We need a lot more archaeological evidence to understand the whole context."
Once the badysis of these artifacts is complete, the objects will be exhibited at the Ndachjian-Tehuacan Museum. Excavations will continue and new investigations should be conducted around the temple.
[National Institute of Anthropology and History]
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