Analysis of elasmobranches from offerings 126, 141 and 165 found at the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan

Summary

Numerous fish from diverse species have been found inside the Great Temple offerings. These were transported from the coast to Tenochtitlan. During the seventh field season of the Templo Mayor Project, five sawfish rostra were found inside three offerings. By analyzing macro and microscopic structures, and through the comparison with modern specimens from the Ichthyology Collection of the Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology, at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, these animals were identified as Pristis pectinata y Pristis pristis. Nowadays, these fish are distributed in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean coast and the Mexican Pacific Ocean. Individuals selected by the Mexica priest were adults, measuring almost four meters long. Contemporary specimens are no longer of this size, since the species is in critical danger of extintion, worldwide. Through a biological and an archaeological analysis, this paper contributes to getting a better understanding of elasmobranch biodiversity during prehispanic times, as well as their use, symbolism and importance.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Animals and the Sacred Precinct of Tenochtitlan: Biology, Archaeology, History, and Conservation

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16681