Project Objectives
Our project has the main goal of integrating cutting-edge, innovative biogeochemical and biomolecular techniques with archaeology, bioarchaeology, and history to shed new light on the life histories of individuals sacrificed by the Mexica and the Tarascan societies during the Postclassic period. Our project is grounded in Indigenous and decolonial approaches and will work to increase our knowledge in an ethical and evidence-based manner about the pan-Mesoamerican practice of human sacrifice.
1
Shed light on the life histories of the Mexica and Tarascan sacrificial victims, whose experiences were omitted from the historical record through novel, cutting-edge scientific techniques.
2
Characterize the sacrificial victims from both Mesoamerican societies through multiple isotope analyses using skeletal and dental samples to reconstruct their childhood and adulthood diets as well as the specific foods consumed via proteomic (protein) and stable isotope compound specific (amino acid) analyses.
3
Compare the residents and sacrificial victims’ origins from both cultural contexts using oxygen, strontium and lead isotope ratios of tooth enamel.
4
Compare and contrast the ancient DNA data with the rest of the bioarchaeological data to better understand the dynamics at play in the selection of these individuals as human sacrifices within these contemporary, dominant Mesoamerican empires.
5
Compare and contrast the bioarchaeological data analyzed with a critical analysis of the historic and iconographic sources that survived in relation to the Mexica and the Tarascan societies and contribute to deconstructing the deeply ingrained colonial myths and racist popular culture propaganda that have erroneously depicted Postclassic Mesoamerican cultures since the 16th century.