Ritual starfish offerings found in the Aztec Templo Mayor at Tenochtitlan

[Judi Lynn]

Templo Mayor - Image Credit : Belikova Oksana

Archaeologists excavating in the Templo Mayor site, located in the former Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in Mexico City have uncovered over 160 starfish placed as ritual offerings.

The Templo Mayor was the primary temple of the Mexica people, dedicated simultaneously to Huitzilopochtli, the god of war, and Tlaloc, the god of rain and agriculture, each of which had a shrine at the top of the pyramid with separate staircases.

Excavations were conducted by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) as part of the Templo Mayo Project (PTM), where archaeologists found 164 starfish deposited in a circular Cuauhxicalco structure placed inside the temple’s sacred enclosure. The starfish are of the Nidorellia armata species, also known as the chocolate chip star and are commonly found from the Gulf of California to northwest Peru.



templo
Starfish deposit – Image Credit : INAH

Based on historical sources such as the Matrícula de Tributos and previous findings, archaeologists believe that the offering is associated with warfare as the location in the Cuauhxicalco is orientated with the area consecrated to Huitzilopochtli.

More:
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/03/ritual-starfish-offerings-found-in-the-aztec-templo-mayor-at-tenochtitlan/143058