Art & Culture · 2

Which Aztec structure, used to display skulls after human sacrifice, is considered the origin of Mexico's modern Day of the Dead skull imagery?

Answer

Tzompantli

The tzompantli was a wooden rack on which the Aztecs displayed the skulls of sacrificial victims; scholars trace the visual lineage of Day of the Dead skull imagery to this practice.

💡 Did you know?

Mexican Day of the Dead skull masks evolved from Aztec skull racks displayed after human sacrifice—the practice was transformed, not erased, when Spain colonized Mexico.

Other options people guess

  • Chac Mool
  • Coatlicue statue
  • Aztec Sun Stone

Topics

  • masks
  • day-of-the-dead
  • aztec
  • mexico
  • ritual

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