Human Sacrifice and Body Processing in Late Eastern Mesoamerica: New Evidence from Toniná, Lagartero, and Champotón

Summary

This is an abstract from the "New Perspectives on Ritual Violence and Related Human Body Treatments in Ancient Mesoamerica" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

A number of non-reverential, highly processed human assemblages containing mutilated sternal bones have been documented in different parts of Postclassic period Mesoamerica and beyond after being described by Carmen Pijoan in a massive ritual deposit from Tlatelolco, in the Aztec capital. In this presentation, we document and interpret five such deposits. These come from three securely dated Eastern Mesoamerica contexts at the sites of Toniná and Lagartero, two late centers in the Chiapanecan Highlands, and Champotón, on the west coast of the Yucatecan peninsula. All damaged sternal bones display forceful horizontal or diagonal blows to green bone, which appear to have severed the upper from the lower segment in one single action. All contexts show additional signs of having been flayed, defleshed, and disarticulated. Six pairs of adult hands and three more pairs of feet were recovered from one of these assemblages. Bioarchaeological isotopic research provides glimpses into the lifestyles and diets of the individuals, while skeletal imagery prompts reflections on the possible ritual choreographies and ceremonial occasions surrounding their deaths; namely, those related to Xipe rituals.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• New Perspectives on Ritual Violence and Related Human Body Treatments in Ancient Mesoamerica

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 31958