A tower of human skulls has been unearthed in Mexico beneath the heart of Mexico City. The finding has raised questions about the culture of sacrifice in the Aztec Empire. More than 650 skulls have been found near the site of Templo Mayor, one of the main temples in the ancient Aztec capital, and they expect the numbers to rise. The Aztec performed ritualistic human sacrifices as offerings to the sun.
The severed heads of captured warriors were displayed publicly and then built into a tower. The tower is six meters in diameter and stood in the corner of the chapel of the Aztec god of the sun, war and sacrifice. Archaeologists believe this site struck fear into the hearts of the Spanish conquistadors when they came to conquer Mexico in 1521 as it was mentioned by one of the Spanish soldiers who accompanied Cortes.
Archaeologists began uncovering the site two years ago. The skulls were caked in lime before they were embedded in the tower. What they found to be really surprising is that they found not only the skulls of young men but also of women and children who wouldn´t have normally participated in a war. This info is really new and changes everything that historians thought they knew about the Aztec culture.
skull (skʌl) – der Schädel
to unearth (ʌnˈɜ:θ) – etw ausgraben
finding (ˈfaɪndɪŋ) – die Entdeckung
sacrifice (ˈsækrɪfaɪs) – das Opfer
site (saɪt) – die Stelle, der Ort
main (meɪn) – Haupt-, wichtigster
ancient (ˈeɪn(t)ʃənt) – alt, antik
offering (ˈɒfərɪŋ) – die Spende, hier: Opfergabe
to sever (ˈsevəʳ) – etw abtrennen, durchtrennen
to capture (ˈkæptʃəʳ) – jdn gefangen nehmen
warrior (ˈwɒriəʳ) – der Krieger
to display (dɪˈspleɪ) – etw aushängen, etw anzeigen
diameter (daɪˈæmətəʳ) – der Durchmeser
corner (ˈkɔ:nəʳ) – die Ecke
conquistador (kɒnˈkɪstədɔ:ʳ) – spanischer Eroberer
to conquer (ˈkɒŋkəʳ) – etw erobern
to mention (ˈmen(t)ʃən) – jdn/etw erwähnen
to accompany (əˈkʌmpəni) – jdn begleiten
to uncover (ʌnˈkʌvəʳ) – etw frei legen, aufdecken
to cake (keɪk) – etw bedecken, eintrocknen
lime (laɪm) – hier: der Kalk
to embed (ɪmˈbed) – etw einbetten, einlassen
to participate (pɑ:ˈtɪsɪpeɪt) – an etw eilnehmen