In a deeply moving revelation about pre-Hispanic life and beliefs, a recent examination of archaeological data links a mass offering of children to the Mexica rain god Tlaloc to a devastating drought in 1454. Archaeologists believe that, during this environmental crisis, the Mexica sacrificed dozens of young children to appease Tlaloc and bring rains back to the Basin of Mexico.
Offering 48 corresponded to the construction stage IVa of the Great Temple, erected during the reign of Moctezuma Ilhuicamina. (Screenshot/INAH)
Discovery of Offering 48: Insights from the Templo Mayor
According to an INAH press release, the story of these tragic offerings began with an excavation in 1980-1981 by the Templo Mayor Project, where archaeologists uncovered the remains of 42 young children in Offering 48. This ritual deposit was located in the northwest sector of the Templo Mayor, a monumental temple in the heart of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, dedicated to Tlaloc.
The offering included children adorned with …