Archaeology of Teotihuacan, Mexico
One
of the characteristic features of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid was the
sacrificial grave complex integrated into its construction plan. Containing
mass-dedicatory and elite burials of probably more than 200 individuals,
it represents the most elaborate burial program found to date in Teotihuacan.
Exceptionally rich offerings were included with these individuals. However,
the fact that two multiple graves near the center of the pyramid (Graves
12 and 13) and a large pit in front of the staircase (West Grave) were thoroughly
looted in Pre-Columbian times makes interpretation difficult. In the following
pages, stratigraphy, grave features, and general information about the individuals
interred in each grave are described seperately, as the burial contexts
vary significantly. Osteological data, and the offerings found in different
graves and caches are dealt with separately in other pages.
To date, about 137
individuals have been found in 25 graves at the Feathered Serpent Pyramid.
The discoveries of the graves containing these individuals were made by
several projects (Research History of
the FSP1), and a number of different numbering systems have been
used to designate individual graves. Nevertheless, the original designations
used by these projects have been retained for these pages. The burial complex
consists of: Graves 3, 5, 6, and 7 found on the back (east) side of the
pyramid; Graves 17, 153, 190, and 203, found on the south side; Graves 1,
16, 172, and 204, discovered on the north side; Graves NE, NW, SW, and SE,
located at the four corners of the pyramid; Graves 2 and 4, found on the
North-South axis in the southern half of the pyramid's fill; Graves 12,
13, and 15, discovered in the Looters' Tunnel; Grave 14 found at the center
of the pyramid; and the West Grave, located in front of the staircase of
the pyramid.
The majority of these interments are chronologically associated with the
pyramid, and were interpreted as parts of a mass-sacrificial burial complex.
Although there is no direct osteological evidence concerning the cause of
death, many individuals were found with their wrists crossed behind their
backs as if they had been tied, and it is highly probable that they were
the victims of human sacrifice. Moreover, the types of offerings associated
with these individuals suggests that the majority of them may have been
soldiers (Cabrera et al. 1991, Sugiyama 1989a, 1989b). In the following
pages, general descriptive data about the individual graves and burials
are provided with brief interpretive comments. More extensive interpretations
concerning the possible functions and ritual meanings of the burials have
been published by the project's members and others (Cabrera and Cabrera
1992; Cowgill 1992; López, López, and Sugiyama 1991; Sugiyama
1993, 1995).
