Identity, ritual, and violence in the Epiclassic Basin of Mexico

Summary

The practice of human sacrifice has a remarkable time depth within Mesoamerica. However, it is often misunderstood as a social practice. In this project, I investigate an Epiclassic (600-900 CE) shrine site in the northern Basin of Mexico, where over 150 male, human crania showing evidence of decapitation were unearthed. The Epiclassic period in the Basin of Mexico was a period of political fragmentation, migration, and warfare. I explore the identities of the individuals using a combination of archaeological, biological, and ethnohistoric data in order to understand the social practices embedded within their deposition. Using intra-cemetery biodistance analysis, I assess if kinship-based identities affected how particular individuals were targeted and, ultimately, deposited as victims of ritual violence.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage