Paleopathology analysis of animal bones found inside the Templo Mayor offerings

Summary

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 animals were sacrificed during Ahuítzotl’s reign (AD 1486-1502) and deposited into the offerings we analyzed. In this presentation we will discuss the pathological bone alterations produced by the interaction between humans and animals. The results of the analysis suggest that it is very likely that the animals were kept under captivity. Furthermore, the study of animal captivity has allowed us to deepen our understanding of the Mexica society, making it possible to reach new interpretations concerning the origin of the ritual goods and the power of the Mexica Empire at the end of the 15th Century.

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): 13178