After visiting the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl, we walked over to the graves next to the Pyramid. These graves looked and felt non-descript; I did not feel anything from them. Unfortunately, INAH fenced them off, so I could not walk among the graves.
According to the INAH Plaque accompanying these graves, the graves include various human burials dating between 150-250 A.D. Archaeologists found these burials below, and at the perimeter of, Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl. The graves are parallel to the walls and symmetrical to the Pyramid’s center and axis lines. They are rectangular, excavated out of rock, and covered with stones and dirt. The burials relate to Teotihuacan’s 2 different types of calendars: the Solar Calendar (Xiuhpohualli) of 365 days and the Count [?] Calendar (Tonalpohualli) of 260 days. The relationship involves the numbers of people in each grave (1, 4, 8, 9, 18, or 20) as well as each grave’s location and the total number of people sacrificed (260). Archaeologists believe that the inhabitants sacrificed the individuals as an offering at the temple construction’s beginning due to their kneeling position with their hands tied behind their backs. The majority of the people sacrificed were men between 13 to 55 years old, with some of them displaying cranial deformities, mutilation, and dental inlays. Part of the funeral costume and offering included large collars made from pieces of human jawbones and dog fangs as well as shell imitations. Other offerings included:
small prismatic knives, blades, and Obsidian arrowheads
sea shells
ear pieces and shell disks
slate disks of Texcacuitiapillis, worn at the back of the waist
figurines, cones, collars, and ear and nose rings of green stone.
