Templo Mayor (Other Keyword)
1-9 (9 Records)
Paleodiet analysis from individuals found inside the Great Temple ritual deposits have been succesfully conducted by analyzing carbon and nitrogen isotopes, with the aim of distinguishing between marine and terrestrial diets. Recently, we incorporated microbotanical analysis of dental calculus to these studies in order to search for plants remains, with the goal of having a broad picture of ancient diet and paramasticatory use of the oral cavity. For this purpose we selected individuals with...
Copper bells from the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan - imports or local production? (2015)
The studies of the offerings of the Templo Mayor of the late postclassic Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan have shown that these concentrate objects of many different materials, styles and origins. The question of how these objects reached the offerings has probably more than one answer, reflecting the complexity of the postclassic economic system. However, recent research has shown that several artifact groups that were thought to be imports were probably produced in strictly regulated workshops...
Los microrrestos botánicos (polen) en ofrendas y rellenos constructivos del área de Tlaltecuhtli (2017)
Dentro de la gran cantidad de material arqueológico recuperado en la Séptima Temporada del Proyecto Templo Mayor se encuentran los microrrestos botánicos, elementos que al reflejar la flora regional nos permiten inferir sobre las actividades de tipo rituales y sagradas realizadas en torno a Tlaltecuhtli al pie del Templo Mayor. Esto cobra importancia si recordamos que para el pueblo Mexica, las plantas jugaban un papel importante en su cosmovisión, relacionándose no sólo con elementos como la...
Marine mollusks as evidence of Mexica imperial expansion (2015)
Of the approximately 175 offerings uncovered in the Templo Mayor Project excavations (1978–present) of Tenochtitlan’s sacred precinct led by Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, 60 reportedly contained marine mollusks. Among them, 47 offerings, dating from 1440 to 1521 CE, were explored between 1978 and 2006, while 13, dating from the reign of Ahuitzotl (1486–1502), were recovered between 2007 and 2013. In the first group, 180 species were identified, including 119 endemic to the Caribbean, 41 to the...
The meaning of the plants around the death: the case of the Offer 149 (2017)
Each offer in the Tenochtitlan Sacred Enclosure is the representation of a microcosmos that can be understood through the analysis and interpretation of each one of its compounds. An important part of them are the vegetal microremains, floral remains that did not endure trough the pass of the time for its own organic nature but that in the Aztec period had multiple meanings that allowed them to be an frequent material of offering. The Offer 149 is an exceptional case up to the moment, not only...
A model of the Universe at the foot of the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan. An approach to its meaning. (2015)
In this paper I will present the study of five offering containers found during the seventh field season of Templo Mayor Project in Downtown Mexico City. The shape of these stone boxes buried in foundation of the main plaza of Tenochtitlan (around 1486 CE), is one of the most important aspects of this ritual complex. They were deposited in the shape of a cross: one was placed in the center, while the others were buried in the cardinal points, representing a Quincunx, a model of the universe. The...
Paleopathology analysis of animal bones found inside the Templo Mayor offerings (2017)
In the excavations conducted by the Templo Mayor Project during the last decade, more than 100 individuals –including birds and mammals- have been found. Thanks to interdisciplinary research combining biology, ecology and veterinarian medicine approaches, it has been possible to study bone anomalies produced by different diseases and trauma in several specimens, such as golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), roseate spoonbills (Platalea ajaja), jaguars (Panthera onca) and wolves (Canis lupus). These...
The Personification of Sacrificial Fire: An Undescribed Deity in Imperial Mexica Sculpture (2017)
A recurring theme in H.B. Nicholson’s groundbreaking analysis of Central Mexican deities is the application of a holistic approach to the analysis of Mexica stone sculpture, which includes visual and iconographic analysis, and comparison to early colonial texts. This paper will analyze a poorly understood deity that appears in late Mexica stone sculpture based on Nicholson’s innovative methodology. This fanged being appears only in stone sculpture from the imperial capital, and has previously...
Representing the Underworld: Manipulation and Reuse of Animal Bones from Offering 126 (2017)
Offering 126 was discovered during the Seventh Field Season of the Templo Mayor Project. This ritual deposit was buried in the West Plaza of the Sacred Precinct, during the reign of Ahuítzotl (AD 1486-1502). Mexica priests deposited inside a box made of stone slabs, more than 9,000 animal bones from 94 individuals, corresponding to wolves, pumas, jaguars, bobcats and birds of prey, among others. These animals were covered with a layer of marine organisms such as corals, shells, snails, starfish...