There is an opinion that the conquistadors specially invented myths about the bloodthirstiness of the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica (Central America). This, they say, justified the genocide that the Spaniards launched against the Indians.
However, the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans have indeed performed rather brutal rituals since ancient times. And when the Spaniards came to Mesoamerica, human sacrifice and cannibalism reached unprecedented proportions in those places.
Cannibals Texcoco
Recent excavations by archaeologists near Mexico City have yielded startling results that fundamentally disprove the theory that the harmless Aztecs bowed almost resignedly to the Spanish conquerors. No, they put up fierce resistance to the white invaders, and the captives … they devoured.
On the territory of the city of Texcoco - the second most important city of the Aztec state - the remains of 550 people were found in only one burial.
Of these, as established by scientists, 15 Spaniards and 45 immigrants from Cuba of Indian and African descent. The rest are probably local residents who have joined the "white devils".
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Apparently, this is part of a convoy of conquistadors that arrived in America from Cuba in 1520. The Spaniards recruited allies among the local population. A huge "camp", which included women and children, moved towards Texcoco. Here, probably, part of him was ambushed by the Aztecs.
The fate of the prisoners was terrible. They were boiled alive and eaten. All - soldiers, women and children. The horses of the Spaniards also went for food. But the Aztecs simply killed the pigs, but did not eat. The fact that people were just eaten and not sacrificed to the gods is evidenced by the nature of their remains. The bones are shattered and broken. Their brains were clearly sucked out.
But Texcoco is the cultural capital of the Aztecs. The rulers of the city patronized philosophy and art. And suddenly, such an atrocity! What happened in other, less enlightened cities of Mesoamerica?
Prisoners into the cauldron
In fact, the inhabitants of Texcoco, by local standards, did nothing unusual. Cannibalism in these parts, as established by archaeologists, existed long before the arrival of the Spaniards here. In Central Mexico, for example, a 10th century settlement has recently been excavated.
Here they found a huge amount of human remains accumulated over the years. We are talking about a thousand dead! Human bones lie here mixed with rabbit and bird bones.
The examination showed that people, before eating, were boiled, then dismembered and cut off the meat from the bones. The bones are broken - apparently, gourmets, as in Texcoco, removed the bone marrow from them.
By the way, it is known that if ordinary prisoners were eaten completely, then a different fate awaited the nobles. They were decapitated, after which the heads, from which the brain and eyes were removed, were dried and worn at the waist. Such trophies were very much appreciated. The bones of the limbs were covered with drawings and used as amulets during dances in honor of the victory over the enemy.
The main thing is not to scream
However, it was not only prisoners who became victims of savage rituals. It is known that the inhabitants of Mesoamerica sacrificed their fellow citizens - children of noble families, boys and girls.
The priests of the Indians who lived in the foothills of the Andes drugged the children with narcotic broth and transported them to the sanctuaries located high in the mountains. There, the children were placed in a frozen crypt, where they, without regaining consciousness, froze, assuming the embryo position characteristic of many Inca mummies. Archaeologists have already discovered dozens of similar mummies, and there are likely to be many more similar finds.
Noble girls and boys were surrounded with great honor. They, dressed in luxurious clothes, were taken to the villages, showing the excited crowds.
Realizing their high mission, the future victims did not even try to escape. On the contrary, they prepared with dignity for the terrible ritual that lay ahead.
The fate of the girls was still relatively easy. With the gathering of a large number of people, the priest "only" cut out the unfortunate heart, which was sacrificed to the gods.
The young man was tied naked to a pole. After that, representatives of the highest nobility - men, women and children - cut off pieces of flesh from him with stone knives and ate them raw. The main thing here for the young man was not to show suffering.
In this case, his bones were subsequently worshiped as a shrine. If the unfortunate man uttered at least a groan, the ritual was stopped, the poor fellow was killed and with contempt they threw out the corpse to be eaten by the dogs. It was believed that he covered both himself and his family with shame.
It is possible, however, to assume that the victim was given some kind of narcotic to drink before the ritual, because it is hardly human to endure such torture without uttering a sound.
Favorite saint of the Indians
The cruel ritual of bloodletting was very popular among the Maya Indians. After the end of the corn harvest, one of the villagers was chosen for the honorable role of the victim and tied naked to a pole. Men danced around and from time to time inflicted wounds on him with spears or arrows, however, not fatal ones - in the arms and legs.
The priest, who was standing nearby, collected the young man's blood in a ritual bowl. Later, its contents were burned along with the cobs of corn on a sacred fire.
Moreover, the ceremony did not necessarily imply the death of the victim. If the young man did not bleed to death until the end of the ritual, he was taken to the priest's hut and tried to heal. The surviving victim was universally respected for the rest of his life.
The Spaniards, faced with this rite, of course, immediately banned it. Maya Indians, who ignored the ban and were convicted of "barbarism", were burned. Therefore, in the future, the ritual changed: the Indians began to beat with spears and shoot from bows at the cobs of corn tied to the pole. The Spaniards did not mind this.
By the way, it was because of this ritual that the beloved saint of the Indians of Mesoamerica, who converted to Catholicism, became the martyr Sebastian, who was portrayed as wounded with arrows and bleeding.
When the Spaniards learned the pagan overtones of this worship of Sebastian, they strictly forbade the involvement of local Indian craftsmen to paint newly built temples.
Tsompantli and rope
What other rituals of the local population shocked the Spaniards and were forbidden by them? For example, the favorite game of the Indians is the rubber ball game. The fact is that after it, human sacrifices were made at the stadium. Many centuries later, researchers discovered hundreds of severed heads on fields intended for ball games.
So a version appeared that the players of the losing team were sacrificed to the gods. True or not, it is difficult to say, but it is known for sure that as a kind of "scoreboard" the Indians installed tsompantli - a wooden stand resembling abacus. Only instead of knuckles, she had human skulls.
Horror caused the conquistadors and the ritual of "stringing", which, however, was preserved for a long time under the Spaniards. It was very important for the Indians, as it helped them to feel like a single people. The Mayan men, having gathered in the temple, pierced their penises with a thorn through and through, passed a rope through the holes, remaining in this position for some time.
As a result, they turned out to be "strung" on a cord soaked in blood. A similar ritual was performed by women, but they, for obvious reasons, passed the rope through their tongues.
By the way, the rope was very important in the mythology of the Indians, as it personified the "umbilical cord of Mother Earth." So, the Maya had a belief: in order to get to the gods as quickly as possible (for example, to convey to them the request of his tribe), it was necessary to hang himself. In turn, the forced hanging, which was so often used by Europeans, was not practiced by the Indians.
The Spaniards managed to practically nullify the savage (in their concept) customs of the inhabitants of Mesoamerica. However, the Day of the Dead remains the most massive and truly popular holiday in Mexico.
In early November, decorative skulls are displayed everywhere - from restaurants to government offices. Just like thousands of years ago, the ancestors of today's Mexicans did it. Only then were the skulls real …
Andrey LESHUKONSKY
