Posted on 01/27/2005 10:37:51 PM PST by quidnunc
New finds from an archaeological site near Mexico City support certain written and pictorial evidence concerning Aztec human sacrifice that historians previously doubted because the accounts seemed too exaggerated to be true.
The discovery adds to the growing collection of evidence supporting human sacrifice and cannibalism among the founders of the Mexican empire. It also suggests that researchers might now be able to verify some 16th century Spanish accounts on the subject.
The Spanish and the Aztecs documented at least four observations of cannibalism in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), whose men conquered the Aztecs in 1519, wrote in a letter that his soldiers had captured an Aztec man who had roasted a baby at breakfast time.
While it probably would be impossible to validate that specific account, the Aztec site at Ecatepec, north of Mexico City, has just yielded the remains of eight children whom the Aztecs likely sacrificed.
Archaeologist Nadia Velez Saldana discovered the remains. She told the Associated Press, "The sacrifice involved burning or partially burning victims. We found a burial pit with the skeletal remains of four children who were partially burned, and the remains of four other children that were completely carbonized."
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at dsc.discovery.com ...
Horse extinction and reintroduction to North America by Cortez and his men.
Equus sp. ranged widely over North America at that the end of the Ice Age but became extinct in North America several thousand years ago. It is not known why they became extinct in North America. Horses were reintroduced into North America by the Spaniard Cortez in 1520
Anthropologist Marvin Harris (bless his soul) says that the whole human sacrifice thing is about food.
There were no large animals and consequently a perpetual protein shortage. The only animals domesticated in the Americas were the Gueinna(sp) pig and the turkey.
The Spanish took the domesticated turkey back to Europe and when the first Pilgrims came to settle here they brought the turkey back with them, they didn't get them from the Indians.
In fact, ever wild turkey in North America has some of the genes from the domesticated turkeys brought back by the Pilgrims.
Ain't it funny how the Lefties sometimes trot out a few Aztec dancers for their anti-war rallies?
IMHO, the definitive work on the Aztec culture is "Aztec", by Gary Jennings. Absolutely unbelievable piece of work. Jennings researched Aztec culture for a decade before writing this book.
You won't be able to put it down. Just go get it........
Wouldn't you know it, they came from Sundaland too. The oldest and biggest pyramids in the world are in South America. You should read this book by Dr Robert Schoch:
Never had Long Pig before.
Ummmmm.........The "Hispanics" were the Spaniards.
Funny how the ancient name of the Roman province of Hispania now means "Meso-American Indian".
Thanks.
My appologies for getting that wrong. I should stick to "Incan", "Aztec", "Quechuan", etc.
It's also "funny" how reversed our modern language has become, i.e. when people describe something as "good" by saying it's "bad", "sick", "fat" (or phat), "bitchin'", "bizare", "gnarly", "wicked", etc.
"Alfred Packer, you sumbitch, there was only three dimmycrats in the whole county and you et two of 'em. Said the judge as he pronounced the death penalty.
Enjoyed your post, the link you provided doesn’t work - can you re-post it?
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