In the center of Mexico City found the Aztec tower of skulls

As you know, the Aztecs were a pretty bloodthirsty tribe. The stories of their cruel mass sacrifices have survived to our time, although the Aztecs themselves have long been gone. Among the Mexicans who now live on their territory, for centuries there were rumors of a terrible tower of skulls, which were made up of the remains of dead enemy soldiers. Recently, experts from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico found this tower.

Not sparing women and children

Archaeologists have found an ominous tower in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, where Mexico City is now located, near the ancient Temple of Major. This temple is also known as the Witsilopochtli pyramid, named after the Aztec supreme deity. According to the Aztec myths, it depended on Witsilopochtli whether the sun would rise. Therefore, the priests in every possible way tempted him with severed heads - according to legend, when the deity was born, the first thing it cut off the heads of its enemies and cast into heaven, creating the moon and stars.

Scientists expected to find in the tower the skulls of men who died in battles against the Aztecs. Legends and historical chronicles pointed to this. But, to their horror, the researchers saw that the tower was built not only of male, but also of female and even children's skulls. In total, 676 skulls were found in the cylindrical structure.

Not only the Aztecs

The tower arose from the tsompantli racks, which were built not only by the Aztecs, but also by the Mayans and Toltecs, judging by their images in the cities of these tribes. Tsompantli was a vertical wooden poles between which transverse beams were installed. Skulls were strung on these beams.

The first Europeans to encounter these civilizations described with horror the temples in front of which tens of thousands of skulls were exhibited on such racks. Most of the skulls were in the Great Tsompantli: as chronicler Andres de Tapia, who arrived in America with Cortes, described, there were 136 thousand skulls on this counter.

Most likely, the find relates specifically to this building.