Resumen

DECLERCQ, Stan. From the Templo Mayor to the calpulli: a typology of cannibalistic “complex rituals”. Cuicuilco. Rev. cienc. antropol. [online]. 2020, vol.27, n.78, pp.119-139.  Epub 06-Mayo-2021. ISSN 2448-8488.

In this article we elaborate a typology of Aztec sacrificial and cannibalistic ritual clusters, according to broad categories of victims and their beneficiaries, based on early colonial historical data. We present a scheme that hypothetically depicts the fragmentation and distribution of the bodies of the victims. We propose an explanation of the absence of multiple postcraneal human deposits at the Templo Mayor, by suggesting the “decentralization” of the bodies from this ceremonial center to the calpulli (a local unit of a city) of the captive warriors, and to the residential compounds. Ultimately, the information derived from written sources might help to understand bone assemblages of extra funerary nature in archaeological deposits, which could be related to cannibalistic behavior. Historical descriptions of ritual body treatment might give some clues of complex deposition patterns.

Palabras llave : Cannibalism; Human Sacrifice; Templo Mayor; Aztecs; Warfare.