7 - Overview: sacrificial and elite burials

Summary

An overview of several burial patterns found in Teotihuacan or Teotihuacan-related sites may be relevant to my conclusions in the final chapter of this volume. First, I briefly discuss sacrificial burials found elsewhere in Teotihuacan besides the Feathered Serpent Pyramid since several examples of this burial type have been reported previously from the city, primarily in residential areas; they include the remains of possible infanticides, decapitations, and other types of dismemberment. The Sun Pyramid and platforms at Oztoyahualco also seem to have contained sacrificial burials, somewhat similar to those of the FSP, as they were discovered in association with monuments. Recent discoveries at the Moon Pyramid are providing new insights about the meanings and functions of sacrificial burials associated with monuments. However, since the fieldwork is still underway, I only summarize the data from the Moon Pyramid very briefly here, citing preliminary excavation reports. I describe and discuss available information from these previous excavations to elucidate some features of the FSP burials through comparison.

In the following section, I review elite graves found in Teotihuacan and Teotihuacan-related sites to ask whether any FSP graves can be designated elite burials through comparison. Special attention is paid to graves discovered at Mounds A and B in Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala. At this urban center of the highland Maya, elite burials have been uncovered in association with Teotihuacan-type pyramids, and abundant offerings have also indicated strong Teotihuacan influence.