Aztec Tower Of Skulls: Children Among Those Sacrificed In Ancient Rituals [Video]

Skulls of at least three children were recently discovered in the tower of skulls that stood in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan – present-day Mexico City. The smaller facial bone structure and teeth that were just developing indicated they were way younger than the adult-sized skulls that made up the skull tower.

The Aztec tower of skulls, called Huei Tzompantli, was first discovered more than five years ago. At the time, 484 bone structures were found. An additional 119 human skulls were unearthed from the eastern side of the site recently, according to a statement from the Mexico Government National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

The skulls, believed to be from the periods between 1486 and 1502, were a significant cultural and identity mark of the time when human ritual sacrifices were still acceptable. People then believed that human sacrifices served a bigger purpose, that of keeping the gods alive and therefore continuing the existence of the universe.

The team of archaeologists with INAH's Urban Archeology Program, who handled the recent excavation, concluded that the Huei Tzompantli was a symbol of power and triumph during ancient wars. There is also a possibility that those sacrificed for the Aztec tower of skulls were captives during battles.

"Although we cannot determine how many of these individuals were warriors, perhaps some were captives destined for sacrificial ceremonies. We do know that they were all consecrated, that is, they were turned into gifts for the gods or even personifications of the deities themselves, for which they were dressed and treated as such," Raúl Barrera Rodríguez, an archeologist with INAH, explained in a press release.

The Aztec tower of skulls was destroyed when Spanish soldiers conquered the city in the 1500s. Fortunately, there are about seven towers now left in the city, helping archeologists to conduct further studies.