Through their “ Templo Mayor ” (Major Temple) project research, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has discovered the hidden meaning of crocodiles among Mesoamerican cultures and how they relate to their belief systems, rituals, and garments . Several pre-Hispanic cultures saw crocodiles as symbols of fertility, rain, and lightning .
Besides, reptile skin was used to make rugs, throne covers, and clothes for their gods, rulers, warriors, and priests , according to a press release.
Tláloc
, also known as the god of lightning, was one of the most represented deities that were related to crocodiles. He wore an armor made of reptile skin.
“This animal was of such importance to the Tenochca people that it was placed at the ritual deposits of the Major Temple’s sacred place,” explained the archeologist Érika Robles Cortés , member of the Major Temple Project.
She added that priests would arrange the reptile in specific positions, next to felines, serpents, and turtle shells , referring to the ground level of the Mexica cosmos .
The sacred place was not the only site were crocodile remains were found. The American archeologist Kent Flannery found a crocodile jaw in the Valley of Oaxaca which was probably used as a ritual disguise.
Other pre-Hispanic representations observed include crocodile garments such as full body suits, capes, masks, helmets, and headdresses . The deities that wore such garments were related to aquatic symbols, fertility, the Earth, creation, and death .
For their part, the Nahuas named the crocodile “acuetzpallin.” The protruding surface of its body served as an analogy for the Earth’s surface, whereas its snout represented a cave that was associated with the entrance to the underworld.
Robles Cortés also pointed out the excavations carried out at the Major Temple in the late 70s and early 80s of the last century. Said studies led to the discovery of 20 crocodile skeletons and eight reptile teeth distributed in 11 ritual deposits and a burial site .
The archeologist explained that the crocodiles, as the majority of animals that were placed as offerings in the sacred place, were not native to the Valley of Mexico and were probably brought to Tenochtitlán from regions in the Pacific and Atlantic sea.
The finding of some of the bones with signs of cuts were key to understanding the way in which the Aztecs worked with the skin. The animals were kept and then fleshed; it is possible that certain chemical substances were applied for their preservation.
Four types of manufacture were identified: Extended leather, skin and skull fragments and phalanges, skin fractions, and a likely taxidermy treatment.
Experts pointed out that crocodiles are still used for religious ceremonies related to the Earth’s fertility in certain communities in the state of Guerrero .
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