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Burials Dedicated to the Old Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan, Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Saburo Sugiyama*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254-9110

Abstract

Excavations conducted during 1983 and 1984 at the Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan, Mexico, encountered three important burials, including an extensive multiple burial with lithic, shell, and bone offerings. Various lines of evidence suggest that human sacrifices were being practiced on a large scale early in Teotihuacan's history. Moreover, the nature and content of the offerings demonstrate the importance of military aspects in early Teotihuacan society. In addition, other data from excavations at the Old Temple of Quetzalcoatl suggest that religious and political conflicts probably occurred since the time of its construction.

Type
Reports
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1989

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References

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