Semillas de vida: simbolismo de piezas dentales provenientes de víctimas de sacrificio humano prehispánico en Toniná, Chiapas

Abstract

In this work we address the symbolism of human teeth in the specific case of a Postclassic Maya ossuary. For the first time, direct evidence was obtained on the practice of dental extraction in fresh bone, after death, and could be part of the post-sacrificial treatments of the victims. Many times in the archaeological record ornaments made with human teeth have been found, such is the case of necklaces, but the question is not asked whether the manufacture required fresh or old teeth. In this work we present a dental extraction technique identified in a bone sample from Toniná Chiapas, and with this, we give an account of the importance of obtaining teeth for their ritual use in different settings.