Huey Tzompantli, Skull Tower.

[timex]

I know it's not very Treasure Related.

But I would be interested, in hearing if this discovery ties into any of the old lore, about the Aztec's.

Is there any significance, that makes a old tale, more authentic historically?

Tim

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-archaeology-skulls-idUSKBN19M3Q6

There was no doubt that the tower was one of the skull edifices mentioned by Andres de Tapia,
a Spanish soldier who accompanied Cortes in the 1521 conquest of Mexico, Barrera said.

In his account of the campaign, de Tapia said he counted tens of thousands of skulls at what became known as the Huey Tzompantli.

 

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[piegrande]

I am having trouble understanding exactly what you wish to know. de Tapia said he saw towers of skulls. And, they have excavated a small tower of skulls.

So, of course it gives credence to de Tapia's report.

Where I get lost is when you call it an old tale. There was actually a lot of contemporary documentation over the invasion of Cortes. As opposed to what one poster says involves believing wild tales of drunks as to where there is treasure. The report of de Tapia seems to be a personal believable report written at the time, or within a reasonable time after the events. So, I do not view de Tapia's report as a "tale' but rather a contemporary report, which is a totally different ball game.

Note that I have not personally seen de Tapia's report, so I am taking the word of those who have seen it.T

There was an extremely large amount of documentation generated during the invasion. And, after. And, much of it was well protected and saved and still exists.

But, it is typically off limit to us peons, only government authorized researchers are allowed in those libraries. One such library is the archive section of Biblioteca Polifoxiana in Puebla.

For example, my own studies tend to make me believe that the towns in the country kept birth and marriage records, especially after Benito Juarez took control of those books. And, in 1918, many if not most were burned during the insurrection. In my state, at least, I think once a year they copied the entire book and sent the copy to the state offices, which were probably not destroyed, but are inaccessible to us peons.

An example of extreme documentation was the epidemic which killed half the indigenous people of Mexico. 1569 seems right by memory. The usual suspects blame the white invaders for bringing in the bad stuff and killing most indigenous. But, a doctor in Mexico city dug out the records, and the symptoms, including green blood, matches no European epidemic. So, he worried that that epidemic is hiding in caves and holes in the ground as other epidemics have done.

My point is very large amounts of documentation were written and still exist from the 1500's. We just can't get our hands on it.

As far as my treasure the Aztecs were brilliant military strategists, and it is very unlikely they wrote down where the treasure was hidden. They weren't that stupid. That would be like putting your password on the front of your monitor.

 

[somehiker]

A model of the Temple Compound,
Structure 11 is the Skull Rack
Structures 8a/8b are the towers that were constructed of lime mortar and human skulls.

 

[Ryano]

Never fails to astound me that what was once above ground for all to see in ages past, is now buried beneath dirt and grass.

 

[somehiker]

Even worse in the more northerly latitudes, where every year the seasons result in another layer of dirt and grass.
Even stuff from the early 1900's can be 2 feet down and almost impossible to recognize as a "ruin" or remnant of past occupation.
That's one of the reasons I prefer the desert regions. So much still lies on the surface.

 

[piegrande]

I am going by memory, which is a really bad idea.

But, years ago, I read about the man who found ancient Troy, the Greek city where they used the wooden horse to take over the city. The memory part is they found stuff, but thirty feet down.

 

[piegrande]

The full horror of the Aztec 'tower of skulls' revealed | Daily Mail Online

Another article, pretty much the same one OP posted but by the UK newspaper.