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The Divine Gourd Tree

Tzompantli Skull Racks, Decapitation Rituals, and Human Trophies in Ancient Mesoamerica

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The Taking and Displaying of Human Body Parts as Trophies by Amerindians

Part of the book series: INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO ARCHAEOLOGY ((IDCA))

Abstract

Upon entering the Valley of México and seeing the great cities of México-Tenochtitlan, Tlatelolco, and allied centers of the Mexica Aztec Empire in 1519, Hernán Cortéz and his comrades were overcome by the beauty, majesty, and sophistication of the ancient cues, or towers and temples, masonry causeways, palaces, and other marvels which they considered akin to the greatest cities of Europe and Asia.

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Authors
  1. RUBÉN G. MENDOZA
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, 29733, South Carolina, USA

    RICHARD J. CHACON

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Memphis, 38152, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

    David H. Dye

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MENDOZA, R.G. (2007). The Divine Gourd Tree. In: CHACON, R.J., Dye, D.H. (eds) The Taking and Displaying of Human Body Parts as Trophies by Amerindians. INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO ARCHAEOLOGY. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-48303-0_16

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