People used to consider Teotihuacán the home of a peaceful theocracy run by a bunch of Buddhist-like priests who sat around gazing at the sky while allowing adoring followers to feed them three squares a day. That was before Buddhist monks took to the streets in Cambodia. It was also before depictions of Teotihuacán warriors and human hearts impaled on knives began to appear in the mural art. Then in the late 1980s, archaeologists George Cowgill, Ruben Cabrera Castro and Saburo Sugiyama decided to dig a tunnel into the center of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid looking for the tomb of the Teotihuacán king. The found a tomb; but unfortunately Teotihuacán looters had preceded them by many centuries.
However, they DID find the burials of over 230 individuals who had been sacrificed as offerings to the gods during construction of the building. Many were warriors, or at least decked out in warrior attire. Some evidence suggests that many were foreigners who have served in the Teotihuacán military but one day ended up on the wrong end of the sacrificial knife. Many died with their hands tied behind their backs. All were placed in groups arranged by sacred numbers in the Teotihuacán calendar such as 4, 8, 9, 18, and 20. Tourists are not allowed into the tunnels leading to the burial spots but knowing about them does lead one to think dark thoughts. Before becoming too critical of the Teotihuacános however, give some thought to our expectations of the young men and women who lay their lives on the line for whatever country we are citizens of.
Written by Richard A. Diehl
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