Aztec Offering Unearthed in Mexico

It was found in the heart of Mexico City. It is an altar set up more than half a century ago. It was made by a Mexica family that survived the conquest. It is the Aztec offering unearthed in Mexico, in the middle of the city.

The Aztec offering unearthed in Mexico surprised archaeologists.
Aztec offering unearthed in Mexico surprised archaeologists.

Ritual as protest

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) found it. It was in a property next to Garibaldi Square. It is an offering with skeletal remains and 13 smoke sahumadores. “It is very symbolic for the 500 years of indigenous resistance. Says Mara Abigail Becerra Amezcua, coordinator of the institution.

Researchers believe the offering was built by Mexica Indians. This pre-Hispanic ritual was done as an act of protest. It happened between 1521 and 1610, that is, a few years after the arrival of the Spaniards. The rites were considered pagan at that time.

That corresponds to the old neighborhood of Tezcatzonco. Nowadays it is the Plaza Garibaldi. It is one of the most emblematic places in Mexico. Hundreds of mariachis work there.

“It was in honor of that world that was fading away. It is a ritual that testified to the end of the cycle of their lives. And of their civilization,” explains INAH.

It was discovered by accident, during construction work.
It was discovered by accident, during some construction work.

Bone remains

“It was a little more than four meters deep. It was covered by several layers of adobe bricks,” reads the Mexican government communiqué.

The altar consists of 13 sahumadores. There is a cup for pulque, five cajetes, a plate and a globular body pot. There are four vessels as lids. In the interior of this last one, cremated bone remains were found. It was a funeral custom extended in the Mesoamerican world. Possibly of a child.

The Aztec offering unearthed in Mexico is timely. The pre-Hispanic past has become one of the main thematic axes of the current administration. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador insists on asking the King of Spain to apologize for the “atrocities” during the Conquest.

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