In Mexico, new information has been discovered about the 2000-year-old cult of the "bloody mirror".
Scientific research of archaeological finds in the ancient city of Teotihuacan has revealed new information about the cult of the "bloody mirror" and its influence on the realization of the imperial goals of the largest city-state that ever existed in Mesoamerica from 100 BC to 800 AD.
As you know, the city-state of Teotihuacan preceded the Aztec civilization and was famous for the cult of the "bloody mirror". For the people who lived there, blood and obsidian were considered a symbol of power. This volcanic rock was used as oracular tools to predict the future and communicate with the gods. But over time, such a fascination with natural glass grew into terrible atrocities, reports 2plus2.ua.
Referring to a new study of a temple in Teotihuacán, the city's population was obsessed with mirrors and the shedding of blood. Researcher Trenton D. Barnes of Williams College said evidence of this can be found in the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, the third largest structure in the famous ancient city.
When it was found, it was decorated with hundreds of "monumental sculptures depicting mirrors."
"Potentially, hundreds of such mirrors were originally built into the façade. At the end of a clear day, as the sun approached the western horizon, the black eyes of the sculpted heads flashed with reflected light," Barnes wrote in his study, published in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica.
Archaeologists have also discovered skeletons of about 200 sacrifices under the pyramid, many of which were foreigners. Obsidian blades and tips found next to these skeletons confirm the use of this material for ritual bloodshedding.
Given that both war and human sacrifice were fundamental to establishing political control, the religious connection between blood and mirrors can be seen as a key component of the imperial ambitions of the city-state of Teotihuacán.
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