Aztec tower of human heads contains a horrifying surprise that could rewrite history

We thought we understood Aztec sacrifice, but we were wrong.

The Aztec gods required human sacrifice. To that end, the Aztecs sought out volunteers from their own people for ritual sacrifice. With some inducement, some were willing, others less so. And when fellow Aztecs weren't enough, the nation went to war. This is the traditional belief of Aztec human sacrifice, and a new discovery suggests it may be wrong. --Horrifyingly wrong.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- The Aztecs had many gods, and they required sacrifice. Sacrifices could be anything. Any item of value could be broken, burned, or simply cast off as a sacrifice. Food, precious artifacts, animals, were all acceptable. However, there were occasions where something more was required. The next form of sacrifice was bloodletting. Devotees might prick or bleed themselves to offer a sacrifice. The experience was intended to be bloody and painful, but not fatal.

After bloodletting, human sacrifice was next. Historians have debated the scale and nature of Aztec human sacrifice since the Spanish conquest of the once dominant civilization. The theology behind human sacrifice was that people ought to be willing to give up that which is most precious to sustain civilization and the universe itself.

For some rituals, the Aztecs sought willing volunteers. Unblemished persons, brave warriors, the children of nobles might be chosen for special sacrifices. These people would typically be treated well, almost as kings before a specified period ended and they met their doom at the hands of a priest. The most common method of sacrifice seems to have been drugging, to make the victim passive and easy to kill, followed by burning or removal of the heart, and in rare cases both. Drowning could also be performed. Less willing victims came in the form of orphaned or sickly children.

When these methods did not prove sufficient, the Aztecs mobilized the entire city of Tenochtitlan for the purpose of capturing people to be used as ritual sacrifices. Weaker, neighboring tribes were called upon to supply tribute in the form of victims for sacrifice. When these demands were not satisfied, the Aztecs went to war.

Aztec warfare was quite lethal, but since the aim was often to gain captives, Aztec warriors were often armed with less lethal weapons, such as clubs. Great pride was attached to a warrior's ability to take live captives. Given the comparative might of the Aztec civilization, the captives were always acquired and brought back to the city.

These captives, whether offered as tribute or captured in battle, were farmed out to responsible guardians. They were expected to work as slaves, but were generally treated with respect. Everyone understood what was to become of them, including the captives themselves. Undoubtedly, some sought to escape, but the system worked well enough so that on the appointed day, the captives were delivered to priests and put through their ritual sacrifices. 

Pain and suffering was sometimes a part of the sacrifice, so not all the killings were quick. Victims were often dressed as the god to whom they were due to be sacrificed, and compelled to reenact events from that god's mythology and other rituals. The rituals had a secondary purpose, which is to tire the victims before their death. A tired victim struggles less against the knife.

Victims were often cast down the steps of steep pyramids and dismembered. Perhaps some were still conscious when their heartless bodies were cast down. It was a gory affair.

Despite the violence of the ritual, it has long been an understood and accepted practice. Under the Aztec view of the universe, it all made sense. The Christians who traveled with Cortez, and those who followed were shocked by the reports that as many as 80,000 people might have been sacrificed for the dedication of a pyramid, but it was still understandable. The victims were volunteers, or were taken, by some arguable form of fair play.

But now, this whitewashing of Aztec history may be subject to challenge. Underneath Mexico City, archaeologists digging into the ancient layers of dirt have discovered a tower of human skulls, that may have been 200 feet in diameter. The tower of skulls is not a surprise. It was documented by Cortez's soldiers as an astounding feature near the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan.  The tower itself is known as the Huey Tzompantli. Such towers were common, but none were as large as this one.

So far archaeologists have uncovered 650 of what could be tens of thousands of skulls. But here's the surprising discovery: the skulls are varied. They are not merely the skulls of young men, but they include women and children alike.

The stunning discovery suggests that the Aztecs did not simply sacrifice warriors or volunteers, sometimes that sacrificed entire villages or districts.

The discovery is still under review, and while the mass sacrifice of unwilling captives is a distinct possibility, it remains speculation. The victims could have been taken from a rebellious group. And with an estimated 60,000 skulls, it is possible this is merely an anomaly and the remainder of the rack is more homogeneous, made of warrior skulls.

But if the find produces more skulls from women and children, then the implication is truly terrifying. It means women and children alike met their doom atop a temple the same as the warrior men. The terror these people must have endured is truly heartbreaking, especially considering the fate of so many children.

The dig is ongoing and it is hoped that additional excavation will yield more clues as to why the largest tower of human heads in the world includes the skulls of so many women and children.