Excarnation ritual in Mesoamerica matches Bronze Age European practice. Human sacrifice was rare in Mesoamerica; the Olmecs did not engage in it The Olmecs practiced excarnation/reburial: leaving the dead in a temporary spot, allowing flesh to decompose, then moving clean bones for display Before the Olmecs, hunter-gatherers and small hut villagers who predate the platforms at Tollan performed simple burials in fetal position
The Olmecs practiced excarnation rather than typical burial — bodies left exposed until flesh decomposed, then clean bones were collected and displayed. Earlier Mesoamerican villagers did simple fetal-position burials, so this ritual may have arrived with the Tollan builders. Strikingly, Bronze Age Cyclopean builders in Europe practiced the same excarnation tradition, suggesting a possible cultural link across the Atlantic.
Key Facts
- Human sacrifice was rare in Mesoamerica; the Olmecs did not engage in it
- The Olmecs practiced excarnation/reburial: leaving the dead in a temporary spot, allowing flesh to decompose, then moving clean bones for display
- Before the Olmecs, hunter-gatherers and small hut villagers who predate the platforms at Tollan performed simple burials in fetal position
- The builders of Tollan may have introduced the excarnation ritual into the continent alongside stone construction
- At about the same time, Bronze Age Cyclopean builders in Europe also practiced excarnation and 'bone play'
Related site: Nubian Pyramids — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: Mexico’s Oldest Monument Should Not Look European 👁️⛵️ by One-eyed giant building walls