Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Archaeological site in Mexico reveals sacrifice and cannibalization of Spanish conquistadors
ancient origins ^ | 9may 19 | Mark Miller

Posted on 05/18/2019 4:19:44 AM PDT by vannrox

Excavations at the Zultepec-Tecoaque archaeological site in Tlaxcala, Mexico, have revealed that indigenous Acolhuas peoples captured a caravan of 550 conquistadors and their allies in 1520, kept them in captivity, and ate them over a period of nine months. And new research suggests that these acts were not random; it seems the Acolhuas people were re-creating their creation myths.

Who were the Acolhuas’ Sacrificial Victims?

Hernán Cortés , the Spanish usurper of Mexico at the time, was in the caravan to Tenochtitlan but rode ahead to help put down a rebellion in Mexico City before the Acolhuas party struck. The caravan comprised people of Spanish, Cuban-African, and Mexican- Indian descent, whom the Acolhuas viewed as invaders that needed to be stopped.

Cortés first arrived in Mexico with a party in 1519. The people in the caravan were the second Spanish party to arrive. They had 45 foot soldiers, 15 conquistadors and at least 350 Maya and other Indian allies of the Spaniards, including about 10 children, along with animals.

Once they had captured the people in 1520, the Acolhuas people sacrificed the invaders and ate them, along with the animals, with the exception of the pigs – they were apparently viewed as unsavory and were killed and thrown into a well.

Hernan Cortés killing indigenous people of the Americas

Hernan Cortés killing indigenous people of the Americas. ( Public Domain )

Why did the Acolhuas Commit the 1520 Sacrifice?

“In the living spaces the remains of members of the caravan were found with signs of having been sacrificed in different rituals that were conducted over six months to commemorate various festivities marking the Aztec calendar …” explained a press release from the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History .

In 2015 archaeologist Enrique Martinez suggested that “The purpose of the sacrifices was to ask the deities protecting against the arrival of strangers.” However he now believes “The inhabitants of Zultepec were re-creating creation myths” instead.

According to Phys.org, “one Spanish male was dismembered and burned to replicate the mythical fates of Aztec-era gods, according to one myth known as "El Quinto Sol," or Fifth Sun .”

The villagers of Zultepec-Tecoaque in what is now called Tlaxcala State put some of the skulls of the foreigners, especially the Spanish women, on display. After Hernan Cortés found out about the case, he ordered the village destroyed and the Acolhuas villagers who lived there slaughtered.

In Aztec culture, skulls were often put on display on a skull rack (tzompantli).

In Aztec culture, skulls were often put on display on a skull rack (tzompantli). ( Public Domain )

Hiding the Evidence

The archaeological dig, led by Enrique Martinez and Ana Maria Pacheco Jarquín, found that villagers apparently tried to hide the fact that the Spaniards, Cubans, and their Indian allies had been taken to their village by dumping incriminatory foreign objects into a well at the site and then they apparently left town.

The site was under excavation since 1933, but the 2015 press release states that it was only by then that the archaeological team made the discovery of a cistern in the housing units in which the Indians hid many objects so Cortés’ men could not find them. Among the European items found in the cistern were a horse spur, a cameo, rings, glazed ceramic figures, and iron nails. In previous digs, about 200 European objects were found in 12 other cisterns that had been explored in other stages of the excavations.

Enrique Martinez ruled out slavery as a motive for capturing the caravan and added that his team concluded the group was in captivity only for slaughter. The villagers apparently rebuilt part of the village to accommodate the 500 foreigners during the period of June 1520 to March 1521. The villagers built new rooms for themselves and imprisoned the captives in their old quarters, the 2015 press release stated.

Some of the broken ceramics that were found in one room, apparent evidence of abandonment of the village

Some of the broken ceramics that were found in one room, apparent evidence of abandonment of the village. (Photo by Meliton Tapia/ INAH)

After the Spanish attacked Tecoaque, some villagers fled and some were killed. The archaeologists found in one of the houses a conglomeration of fragmented pre-Hispanic ceramics, including everyday vessels and a sculpture of a dog .

“The researcher explained that it is clear evidence of an untimely abandonment,” the press release said, “For some reason the Acolhua population concentrated all ceramics in that space and when they fell the walls of the room were broken and covered for centuries. The event must have happened to learn that the Spanish military were going to punish them. Then also they rushed to hide the evidence of the caravan in reservoirs.”

Top Image: Zultepec-Tecoaque archaeological site in Tlaxcala, Mexico. The location where the Acolhua practiced human sacrifice and cannibalized Spanish conquistadors.


TOPICS: Conspiracy; Health/Medicine; History; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: acolhuas; america; cannibals; capture; godsgravesglyphs; hellhole; hierarchy; history; indians; indigenousanimals; mexico; tlaxcala
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-32 last
To: jacknhoo

****the pigs – they were apparently viewed as unsavory and were killed and thrown into a well.”****

They threw the pigs in a well, but ate the “LONG PIG”.


21 posted on 05/18/2019 7:52:39 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: hanamizu

***I love how they refer to Cortes as a usurper of Mexico***

From what I’ve read, years ago, the Aztecs invaded from the North, and carved up the Mayan and Toltec empires for themselves.

But Cortez is the only “dirty rat dog” to do the same?


22 posted on 05/18/2019 7:56:31 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: vannrox

Killed the pigs & threw them into the well.....

Don’t know how that could have had a good outcome. Seems to me the water would then be contaminated.


23 posted on 05/18/2019 8:03:43 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

But Cortez is the only “dirty rat dog” to do the same?


Yes, the Aztecs came from the north and terrorized, disgusted the civilized tribes they met on the way south. In one case a tribe married off a ‘princess’ to the Aztecs. Months later they sent someone to see how she was doing. The ambassador found an Aztec priest wearing her skin as a body suit.

Cortes is the great villain in Mexican history books. He is often depicted as a hunchback.


24 posted on 05/18/2019 8:16:26 AM PDT by hanamizu
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...
Thanks vannrox.

25 posted on 05/18/2019 8:49:59 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: vannrox
I'm convinced that when the Spanish saw the absolute appalling level of barbarism among the indigeous peoples in Mexico that they said to one another:

¡Oh, esta mierda va a parar ahora mismo!

26 posted on 05/18/2019 9:23:32 AM PDT by Towed_Jumper (Every time a Muslim dies an angel gets his wings.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: King Moonracer

“I bet cannibalism was rampant in the pre-colonial Americas.”

Yep.

https://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/native-american-cannibalism-and-dog-eating/


27 posted on 05/18/2019 11:43:14 AM PDT by jdsteel (Americans are Dreamers too!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: ExpatCanuck
Bloody Belgian bastards! I


28 posted on 05/18/2019 11:45:43 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: dp0622
But they were brutal.

Tough as Hell as well. In "The Conquest of New Spain" by Bernal Diaz, one of Cortez's soldiers, he tells of one battle where an officer was wounded seven times, "only one being severe, where the air escaped from his chest" (wounded?). Vivid writing as well, where he describes the darts thrown by the Aztecs whizzed by his head, sounding "like locusts in the field".

Evidently they treated cut wounds by searing with a hot iron and sealing them with grease. When they ran out, they cut open "a fat indian" and used his body fat. Yikes!

29 posted on 05/18/2019 12:23:26 PM PDT by Oatka
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: vannrox

I wonder what spices and herbs the Acolhuas used to cook and barbecue the conquistadors?


30 posted on 05/18/2019 10:39:38 PM PDT by minnesota_bound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jdsteel

Hollywood turned on Mel Gibson not only for his drunken tirade against Jewish influence of his industry (was he lying?), his movie “Apocalypto” realistically depicted the savagery of the Mayans while the PC weenies were saying the native peoples were all “peace, love and understanding” until those terrible Europeans arrived.


31 posted on 05/19/2019 1:35:46 AM PDT by MikelTackNailer (NRT, NewRome Tacitus, just don't call me late to dinner.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: vannrox

Whatever his faults, Cortez did God’s work in destroying the Aztecs and subduing Mexico.


32 posted on 05/20/2019 6:24:34 AM PDT by Little Ray (Freedom Before Security!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-32 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson