Oldest Temple in Mexican Valley Hints at Possible Human Sacrifice

LiveScience via Yahoo ^ | Monday, April 22, 2013 | Stephanie Pappas

[SunkenCiv]

A newly discovered temple complex in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, reveals hints of a specialized hierarchy of priests -- who may have committed human sacrifice... The temple dates back to 300 B.C. or so, when it was in use by the Zapotec civilization of what is now Oaxaca.

Archaeologists have been excavating a site in the valley called El Palenque for years. The site is the center of what was once an independent mini-state. Between 1997 and 2000, the researchers found and studied the remains of a 9,150-square-foot (850 square meters) palace complex complete with a plaza on the north side of the site. Radiocarbon dating and copious ash reveal that the palace burned down sometime around 60 B.C. or so.

Now, the archaeologists have unearthed an even larger complex of buildings on the east side of El Palenque. The walled-off area appears to be a temple complex, consisting of a main temple flanked by two smaller temple buildings. There are also at least two residences, probably for priests, as well as a number of fireboxes where offerings may have been made...

The whole complex measures almost 54,000 square feet (5,000 square meters), and the main temple alone has a 4,090-square-foot (380 square meters) footprint...

Like the palace, the temple complex has been burned and appears to have fallen out of use by the end of the first century B.C or the first century A.D., making it the oldest temple discovered yet in the Valley of Oaxaca. Among the remaining mysteries of the site is a hastily buried body found in one of the temple's fireboxes.

According to the researchers, the skeleton was found "in a cramped position that resulted in the skull resting at the firebox's southeast corner and a knee poking about its northwest corner."

[SunkenCiv]

Alas, we can't post this one:

• Four-thousand year old gold-adorned skeleton found near Windsor by David Keys, Sunday, April 21, 2013, The Independent

Actually 4400 years old.

[nickcarraway]

They had Kaiser back then??

[fieldmarshaldj]

Allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal, allculturesareequal...

[nickcarraway]

Oh please, you think we shouldn’t teach history?

[Mastador1]

And this surprises people because?

[fieldmarshaldj]

Au contraire, we do need to teach history (just not a PC whitewash, which prompted my sarcastic comment). The fact that we have more than a few nutters in this country who think returning to that culture is something to aspire to is appalling.

[nickcarraway]

Well, if that society wasn’t more civilized than what we are today, it won’t be too much longer before that’s definitely the case.

[editor-surveyor]

Hints at?

We already know that human sacrifice was rampant throughout the american continents until the Spaniards pillaged them for their prescious metals.

[DesertRhino]

Savages. The best thing that ever happened in this hemisphere was the Christian Spanish arriving in that vicious part of the pagan world. It was literally like the allied armies liberating at the concentration camps.

[bigheadfred]

Gosnell. Yay! for us!

[BenLurkin]

“Hints”?

[bigheadfred]

“Hints”?

There was sh**, guts, and feathers EVERYWHERE!

[JimSEA]

Human sacrifice was universal until the axial age when religion in Judea, China, India and philosophy in Greece produced humane beliefs that gradually took root. The Americas had no exposure to these beliefs and remained brutal until the conquest.

There was regression to human sacrifice in all regions: the sacrifice of the wife at the husbands funeral in India, the Thuggee cult in India, retainer sacrifice in Ming China, the inquisition in Europe, the hanging of witches in Salem. I doubt that the Roman games and slaughter of Christians for entertainment can be seen as anything other than human sacrifice. In fact, I would argue that Boco Haram killing Christians in Africa is today’s human sacrifice.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Sawdring]

I’m reading The History Of The Conquest Of Mexico and the author claims the Aztecs sacrificed an estimated 70,000 prisoners and slaves for one festival. The line of victims was more than two miles long. They also performed ritualistic cannibalism during feasts.

[blam]

Yup...

I'm in agreement.

[gleeaikin]

There is something confusing about this post. The posted part refers to El Palenque, with a buried structure that has recently been discovered and as being in the valley of Oaxaca. I have been to Oaxaca, and it is in the highlands of southern Mexico. Then you click on the rest of the article and they are talking about Palenque, which is in Yucatan and they describe a number of well developed or restored buildings. Something mixed up is going on here. In Yucatan there were sink hole wells that were used for human sacrifices. Just throw the girl in and let her sink.