Tzompantli or Altar
This cruciform altar is thought to be a Tzompantli, which is commonly known as a skull rack and was used for mounting sacrificial skulls on. However the a statue of Coatlicue, or one of her derivatives, that was found at Calixtlahuaca is mounted on an altar of decorative skulls, which suggests a link between this altar and the statue. To read more about this relationship read the article “Calixtlahuaca: The City of Fertility?”
© Robin Heyworth, taken on 11th December 2001
