Zooarchaeology and Bioarchaeology: Ceremonial Feasts and Human Caches at Plaza of the Columns Complex, Teotihuacan

Summary

Preliminary analyses of the zooarchaeological assemblage from the Plaza of the Columns Complex illustrate a snapshot into past human activities such as specialized ceremonial events and faunal acquisition strategies for food consumption. The fauna from this complex, located just northwest of the Sun Pyramid, add to the database of forty years of archaeofaunal exploration throughout Teotihuacan. Here, we focus upon animal species distributed among four areas to understand the economic and ritual activities that took place in this complex.

Results from our analyses revealed intra-site variation among the general debitage fills and areas used for human caching and burnt offerings. One front, in particular, located along the Avenue of the Dead, featured a high concentration of human remains. These remains exhibited cranial deformation and some also teeth modifications atypical for Teotihuacan. Even further, one mound excavation revealed a burnt offering site where the zooarchaeological assemblage was predominately lagomorph and avian remains, mainly that of cottontail rabbit and partridge. High volumes of these easily managed species suggest the offering was representative of a ceremonial function like a feasting event, and furthermore, provides evidence that the Teotihuacanos were provisioning and managing these animal species for larger purposes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21552