Sex identification of children sacrificed to the ancient Aztec rain gods in Tlatelolco

Abstract

Recent excavations of Temple R, dedicated to the Aztec god of wind and rain, Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl, at the archaeological site of Tlatelolco, Mexico City, recovered the sacrificial remains of 37 subadults and 6 adults. It is believed that this ceremonial complex was the site of an extraordinary ceremony carried out during the great drought and famine of AD 1454-57, a date consistent with the founding of this temple. The ages of 31 subadults and 1 adult were estimated by standard morphometrics analysis of the skeletal remains. Most of the subadults (66%) were children up to 3 years old. Through the extraction of ancient DNA from these remains, it was possible to use molecular techniques to determine the sex of the skeletal remains where in many cases (subadults and fragmentary remains) morphometrics analyses failed. Most, if not all, of these sacrificial victims were males. This remarkable gender bias is consistent with the notion that the victims chosen for sacrifice were a living impersonation of the god to whom they were offered.