5 - Burials

Summary

It is now known that the Teotihuacanos buried their dead mainly under floors in residential areas rather than in cemeteries. Differences in treatment of the dead buried under residences clearly indicate the society's hierarchical organization. However, people of the highest social status still have not been identified among these burials.

Drawing on previous work, the present study deals with particular grave patterns: burial complexes integrated into the city's monuments, which have not been clearly discerned as yet. The burials at the Feathered Serpent Pyramid (Fig. 5) form one of the most complicated complexes found to date, since it possibly contains both dedicatory and elite burials. Exceptionally rich offerings, intricately laid among the burials, add to its complexity. Moreover, Graves 12 and 13 – two multiple graves near the center of the pyramid – and a large pit in front of the staircase were heavily looted in pre-Columbian times, a fact which makes interpretation difficult. Additional postmortem activities have further complicated analyses and interpretation, though to a lesser extent. In addition, several burials that we believe still exist in the pyramid have not been excavated, and there are also limitations in the information available. Despite these problems, the data that I present in this chapter permit as close to a comprehensive analysis as possible of the entire FSP burial complex.

The skeletal collection found at the pyramid is still to be studied more comprehensively by Mexican physical anthropologists (see Chapter 1, note 3).