Aztec Human Sacrifice

500 year old remains found in Aztec Ruins
Courtesy of Huffington Post

For over 500 years in Ancient Aztec ruins laid the bones of a person who was a sacrifice. Archaeologists discovered the skull in  a vessel at the end of the Tlatelolco site in Mexico’s capital, according to a press release on July 26.

Researchers from INAH released that the skull was from a young male, more or less a Prisoner of War. The pieces of the skull have been dated back to 1500 A.D.

Salvador Guilliem, the director of the Tlateloco site, noted an INAH statement that a custodian assisting the clean up had alerted researchers in July to what appeared to be a vessel, leading to the discovery of the skull. Today researchers are examining where the remains were found.

For years, Tlatelolco has proven to be a treasure trove of ancient and skeletons that have offered researchers a rare glimpse into the ancient life of the Aztecs. Offers to an Aztec goddesses of fertility known as Quilaztli Cihuacoatl were displayed during an INAH presentation on the site in February, according to Past Horizons. Archaeologist Diego Jimenez Badilla discussed the offerings, some of them human, which were originally discovered in 1979 and 1980.

Being a powerful civilization, the Aztecs believed that the sun God required human blood in order to make the sun travel, according to the History channel. Sometimes, people gave themselves up for the sacrificed and others were forced. Today, the ruins of the Aztec civilization still remains a mystery, but over time there is more to be revealed.