A Teotihuacan altar, which archaeologists imagine was used for sacrifices, has been unearthed in Tikal National Park in Guatemala, the centre of Mayan civilisation, shedding new gentle on the interactions between the 2 historic cultures.
The discovery, introduced by Guatemala’s Culture and Sports Ministry, was made throughout the historic metropolis of Tikal – an infinite city-state which battled for hundreds of years with the Kaanul dynasty for dominance of the Maya world.
Far to the north in Mexico, simply outdoors present-day Mexico City, Teotihuacan – “the city of the gods” or “the place where men become gods” – is greatest recognized for its twin Temples of the Sun and Moon. It was truly a big metropolis that housed over 100,000 inhabitants and coated round eight sq. miles (20 sq. kilometres).
The nonetheless mysterious metropolis was one of many largest on this planet at its peak between 100 B.C. and A.D. 750. However, it was deserted earlier than the rise of the Aztecs within the 14th century.
Lorena Paiz, the archaeologist who led the invention, stated that the Teotihuacan altar was believed to have been used for sacrifices, “especially of children.”
It took archaeologists one and a half years to uncover the altar in a dwelling and analyse it earlier than the announcement.
“The remains of three children not older than four years were found on three sides of the altar,” Paiz stated.
“The Teotihuacan were traders who traveled all over the country (Guatemala),” Paiz stated. “The Teotihuacan residential complexes were houses with rooms and in the centre altars; that’s what the residence that was found is like, with an altar with the figure representing the Storm Goddess.”
Edwin Román, who leads the South Tikal Archaeological Project throughout the park, stated the invention reveals the sociopolitical and cultural interplay between the Maya of Tikal and Teotihuacan’s elite between 300 and 500 A.D.
Román stated the invention additionally reinforces the concept that Tikal was a cosmopolitan centre at the moment, a spot the place individuals visited from different cultures, affirming its significance as a centre of cultural convergence.
María Belén Méndez, an archaeologist who was not concerned with the mission, stated the invention confirms “that there has been an interconnection between both cultures and what their relationships with their gods and celestial bodies was like.”
“We see how the issue of sacrifice exists in both cultures. It was a practice; it’s not that they were violent, it was their way of connecting with the celestial bodies,” she stated.
The altar is simply over a yard (1m) broad from east to west and almost 2 yards (2m) from north to south. It is a couple of yard (1m) tall and coated with limestone.
The dwelling the place it was discovered had anthropomorphic figures with tassels in crimson tones, a element from the Teotihuacan tradition, in response to the ministry’s assertion.
Tikal National Park is about 325 miles (525 kilometres) north of Guatemala City, the location is guarded and there aren’t any plans to open it to the general public.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/child-sacrifice-altar-tikal-national-park-guatemala-b2731646.html