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BURIAL PRACTICES AT TEOTIHUACAN IN THE EARLY POSTCLASSIC PERIOD: The Vaillant and Linné Excavations (1931–1932)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2006

Christina M. Elson  and
Kenneth Mowbray
Christina M. Elson
Affiliation:
American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street at Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
Kenneth Mowbray
Affiliation:
American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street at Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
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Abstract

In 1931 and 1932, George Vaillant and Sigvald Linné excavated 34 burials and 17 offerings dating to the Early Postclassic period (a.d. 900–1150). The features were located on the ruins of the Classic-period site of Teotihuacan and within the boundaries of a roughly 25–50 ha zone identified by the Teotihuacan Mapping Project as having a dense Early Postclassic-period occupation. The results of Vaillant's excavations have not been published. An examination of the Vaillant–Linné data sheds new light on Early Postclassic-period mortuary ritual and social organization. The identification of several types of burials shows that local people conducted primary and secondary mortuary rituals and indicates the presence of at least two social strata at the site. The content of the burials and offerings supports a division of the Early Postclassic period into two local phases, Mazapan (ca. a.d. 900–1000) and Atlatongo (ca. a.d. 1000–1100/1150), with these features dating to the earlier phase.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , July 2005 , pp. 195 - 211
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

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