[Aztlan] L. LUJAN AND AHUITZOTL'S POSS. TOMB

[Bertrand Lobjois]

Hi Kim and listeros

It is sure that Leonardo's team has a terrible task at the bottom of the
Great Temple Pyramid. It's also true he likes to share all the information.
But he's so enthousiastic that, according to me, he doesn't have an
objective and external point of view. I'm sure there is something very
important, waiting to be discovered... But I don't share his entire
hypothesis, like some religion's historians or students in Europe : I don't
think this was the tumb of Ahuizotl. Of course Leonardo arguments are good.
He uses Duran's chronicle to explain that the ashes of Ahuizotl and 2 others
tlatoanis  (were there at the bottom of the pyramid.

But it could be understood another way. Duran says that the tlatoanis had
different burials : Tezozomoc and him don't mention any ritual concerning
the three first tlatoanis. Cremation was firstly used after Itzcoatl's
death. Then we have different versions for Moctezuma I burial : Torquemada
says he was burned and burried below his own palace (1977 ; vol. II, p. 209)
;Tezozomoc relates he was buried in the house of Huitzilopochtli (1944, p.
174). Duran says that Axayacatl's ashes were buried at the feet of
Huitzilopochtli's, in his temple (1994, p. 356-357). Tezozomoc relates the
same burial for Itzcoatl (1944, p. 265). Both Duran and Tezozomoc tell the
way Ahuizotl was honored : they brought his corpse to Huitzilopochtli. They
say that the unburned material (body parts and offerings) were buried in the
Cuauhxicalco (House of the Eagles).

To me it means that like Axayacatl and Itzcoatl, Ahuizotl's corpse has been
burned in front of Huitzilopochtli's temple, up on the Great Temple, and his
ashes were mainly buried there. In the Mexica society, the Tlatloani is the
incarnation of Huitzilopochtli, the Sun God. You can't bury him at the
bottom of the pyramide, facing the Earth Goddess...But the Spaniards
destroyed the pyramid and the two temples of Tlaloc and Huitzilipochtli. So
it means that their ashes must be totally lost.

I can recommand to all listeros a very good and well documented book about
the cremation in Ancient Tenochtitlan : its title is *"Rituales Funerarios
en el Templo Mayor de Tenochtitlan"*. Ximena Chavez Balderas, archaeologist
in the Templo Mayor wrote it in 2003 and published it this year. She
explains and resumes all the information for the tlatoanis' death and
burials and is a colleage of Leonardo. She's very busy but she always
answers the mails you send her.

I know I'm a student and I am still preparing my doctorate thesis but as we
know in archaeology. But we can't guess what's under our feet until the
entire excavations and analyses are done. I mean, my profs in France have
always teached me to be sceptical and prudent for a good interpretations of
datas. We have to be more prudent and patient. I know that Leonardo doesn't
share my point of view but what his team will discover will be important to
understand the Mexica society, history and religion.

Bertrand LOBJOIS
Universidad de Monterrey
Academia de Ciencias Sociales.

2008/8/27 kim Goldsmith <kiminmexico en yahoo.com>

> Hi All!
>
> In response to this last query, maybe Mike or someone else has a link to
> any of the most recent articles regarding this extremely important Mexico
> City find.
>
> I don't know if Leonardo gets to read Aztlan or not, but I CAN tell you
> that he is one of the greatest people I know, and is always more than happy
> to share information.
>
> While it is natural to be curious and there is CERTAINLY no harm in asking
> via the boards what might be new, my understanding is that this particular
> project is pretty complicated due to the wet conditions of the dig site,
> etc.  I am also imagining that conservation of anything that is found will
> be precarious because of its previously humid environment.
>
> >From my own personal standpoint, even though I (like everyone else) am
> dying to know what's being found there, I think we should give the man and
> his team plenty of room to do what they do best - - I am confident that as
> soon as he is able, he will be thrilled to fill us all in.  It is certainly
> one of the most historical finds here in many years!
>
> Hope everybody is well and doing great!
>
> -KIM
>
>
>
>
>
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