The altar was discovered in 2015 during the restoration of a building. Then 484 human skulls were identified that were thought to form an offering to the Go‌d Huitzilopochtli, the patron saint of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, between 1486 and 1502.

Now, archaeologists said they have found 119 additional human skulls on the east side of the tower, according to an INAH statement.

At every step, the Templo Mayor continues to surprise us; and the Huei Tzompantli is undoubtedly one of the most striking archaeological findings of recent years in our country, as it is an important testimony to the power and greatness that MexicoTenochtitlan reached, says the Mexican Governments Culture Secretary Alejandra Fausto Warrior.

The continuity of archaeological and research projects such as this is a clear example of the fact that work in cultural institutions does not stop; and a reliable example of the relevance of the research work, recovery, and rescue of our historical and cultural memory, carried out every day by the specialists of the Institute, he adds.

Evidence shows that once Mexico City had fallen into the hands of Spanish soldiers and their indigenous allies, the destruction of most of the last construction stage of the Huei Tzompantli was destroyed by the towers skulls, whose scattered fragments have been recovered and analyzed by the physical anthropology team, they explain.

So far, PAU researchers have descended to the depth of 3.5 meters from the current level of the street of República de Guatemala, managing to identify three constructive stages of the Mexican platform, which date back, at least, to the time of the Tlatoani Ahuízotl, who ruled Tenochtitlan between 1486 and 1502.

A declaration of power and offering to the Go‌ds In Mesoamerica ritual sacrifice was practiced under the notion that, through its exercise, the Go‌ds were kept alive and, therefore, continuity was given to the existence of the universe. This vision, incomprehensible to our belief system, turns Huei Tzompantli into a building of life rather than death.

While this imposing monument was also a declaration of power and war principles for the enemies of the Mexicas, it is likely that many of the individuals, captured in combat, have been sacrificed as nextlahualtin (debt payment), thereby seeking to be favored by the Go‌ds by giving them life in return.

Although we cannot determine how many of these individuals were warriors, perhaps, some were captives destined for sacrificial ceremonies.

This vision was radically fought by the Spaniards, who had to witness numerous ritual sacrifices in the seven tzompantli that, we know, existed in the Sacred Site of Tenochtitlan.

Perhaps, experts add, for the astonishment it caused them, and even though Hernán Cortés and Bernal Díaz del Castillo talk about these structures in their chronicles, the only soldier to describe the Huey Tzompantli was Andrés de Tapia.

Human sacrifice in Mesoamerica was a commitment that was established daily between human beings and their Go‌ds, as a way that affected the renewal of nature and ensuring the continuity of life itself, concludes the head of the PAU.