Massive skull rack found in Mexico sheds light on Aztec human sacrifice

Modern historians have doubted the existence of a massive skull display that 16th century Spanish conquistadors claimed to have seen in the ancient city of Tenochtitlan — until now. Archaeologists at the National Institute of Anthropology and History have uncovered a vast collection of human skulls beneath modern Mexico City, in an area that was once the epicenter of the Aztec empire, according to a report in Science Magazine. In 2015, the team discovered and began excavating the remains of the tzompantli, an enormous rack of skulls placed in front of the Templo Mayor, and flanked by two towers of mortared skulls. Both are believed to be part of human sacrifice rituals, which starts with removing a tribute’s still-beating heart. Priests then decapitated the body, cut out the flesh from the head until it was reduced to a skull, and carved holes into the side to mount the skulls on wooden poles. The Mexicas performed the ritual as an offering to the gods, and believed doing so would ensure the continued exi