WASHINGTON — Seventeen hundred years ago, a
female spider monkey was presented as a treasured gift — and later brutally
sacrificed — to strengthen ties between two major powers of pre-Hispanic
America, according to a new study.
اضافة اعلان
The paper, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), compared the offering by Maya elites
to Teotihuacan to China’s panda diplomacy that accompanied the normalization of
Sino-US relations in the 1970s.
By using multiple techniques — including extraction
of ancient DNA, radiocarbon dating, and chemical dietary analysis — researchers
were able to reconstruct the life and death of the primate, finding she was
likely between five and eight years of age when buried alive.
“It’s such an exciting time to be doing archaeology
because the methodology is finally here,” lead author Nawa Sugiyama of the
University of California, Riverside told AFP.
The work began with Sugiyama’s surprising discovery
in 2018 of the animal’s remains in the ruins of Teotihuacan, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in the arid Mexican Highlands.
Spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) are not native to
the elevated region, leaving Sugiyama with a puzzle to solve: What was the
animal doing there, who brought it, and why was it sacrificed?
Vital clues came from the remains’ location.
Teotihuacan (pronounced tay-uh-tee-waa-kaan), which lies 48 kilometers
northeast of Mexico City, was an important site of cultural exchange and
innovation in Classic Mesoamerica.
It is perhaps best known for the pyramids of the
Moon, Sun, and Feathered Serpent. But there is increasing interest in another
monument called Plaza of the Columns, a complex where neighboring Maya
maintained a presence likened to a modern-day embassy.
Feasts, treasures, and murals
The monkey’s skeletal remains were found in the
complex alongside a golden eagle — an emblem of Mexico even today — and
surrounded by a collection of high-value items, including obsidian projectile
points, conch shells, and precious stone artifacts.
Over 14,000 ceramic shards from a grand feast were
also discovered, as well as a Maya mural depicting the spider monkey.
This, said Sugiyama, was further evidence of an
exchange that took place at the highest levels, and preceded the Teotihuacan
state’s later rise and military involvement in Maya cities by the year 378 CE.
Results from chemical analysis involving two canine
teeth that erupted at different points in the monkey’s life indicate that prior
to captivity, she lived in a humid environment and ate plants and roots.
After being captured and brought to Teotihuacan, her
diet was closer to that of humans, including corn and chili peppers.
The spider monkey may have been “an exotic curiosity
alien to the high elevations of Teotihuacan”, wrote Sugiyama and colleagues,
with the fact she was a fellow primate possibly adding to her charisma and
appeal.
Ultimately, the animal met a grisly demise: “Hands
bound behind its back and tethered feet indicate en vivo burial, common among
human and animal sacrifices at Teotihuacan,” the authors wrote.
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