The Aztec tower of tens of thousands of skulls first described by the Spanish has been nothing more than a legend, until now.
PAU - INAH
More than 650 skull have been bring out beneath a new - excavate Aztec temple in the heart of Mexico City .
The towboat of human head is thought to have been part of the Huey Tzompantli , a massive social system of skull that supposedly terrified Spanish soldiers when they followed Hernan Cortes to conquer the region in the former sixteenth century .
PAU-INAH
Until now , the towboat was nothing more than a myth .
But as archaeologists keep digging , research worker have substantiate that the tower — first account in the written accounts of Andres de Tapia , a Spanish soldier , in 1521 — existed .
And though that in itself is intriguing enough , the breakthrough has also debunked some myths about the diachronic tale — namely that the tower was created using the severed heads of foe warriors .
In fact , researchers found that many of the skull — which were deal in lime and dress in a ring , rising like the gradation of an amphitheater — were actually those of women and tyke .
“ We were expecting just men , patently unseasoned military man , as warriors would be , and the affair about the adult female and kid is that you ’d think they would n’t be go to warfare , ” Rodrigo Bolanos , a biologic anthropologist , toldReuters . “ Something is happening that we have no record of , and this is really new , a first in the Huey Tzompantli . ”
Just a few workweek ago , researchers found thesevered necks of 32 childrenin the same area .
They ’ve also uncovered a nearby wooden orthogonal platform that is thought to have been the foundation for a sort of a palisade , which they suspect extend 110 feet .
They have no dubiousness that these commove discoveries ( the skull tower along with the long wall ) are what remains of the structure de Tapia was referring too .
And if that ’s the case , they ’ll probably be get the picture up skulls for a long clip to come — Since de Tapia say there were more than 10,000 .
Luckily for the excavator , some suppose he was probably exaggerating .
“ Odd affair about archaeology , ” Facebook commenter John Matel compose about the discovery . “ After a couple centuries even the most dreadful offense are just artifact . ”
Next , take about anew study suggesting that salmonella stamp out off the bulk of Aztecs . Then , learn aboutseppuku , the ancient and terrible samurai suicide rite .
