The evidence from other sites is often considered surprising.
Iconographic representations engraved in walls and pottery of the Maya region
depict skeletons in motion, participating in rituals or presiding over scenes.
Examples from the more lavish and complex funerals, such as the tomb of Pacal,
the ruler of Palenque, date to this time. The elaboration of a monolithic
sarcophagus, the carving of a tombstone, and the construction of the pyramid to
function as a sepulcher, are all examples of extensive planning. Together with
the sacrifice of companions and the lavish offering, this evidence demonstrates
the importance of the notion of an afterlife and, probably, of the journey the
ruler had to undergo to reach his destination. In this imposing tomb there is
also an exultation of life and death: An image of the deceased was carved on
the cover of the sarcophagus, a maize plant emerging from his chest. Such
magnificent royal sepulchers are common throughout the Maya region. (Ximena
Chávez Balderas, trans. Fernando Feliu-Moggi, “Afterlife,
Mesoamerican Concepts,” in Encyclopedia of Religion [2d ed.; Thompson/Gale,
2005], 150)
The tradition of the shaft tombs continued in the western regions of
Mesoamerica, while new ritual forms also began to emerge. One example of such a
change can be found in Loma Alta and Loma Guadalupe, funerary islands located
in Michoacán. In the former, individual were buried, and in some instances the
rites included the cremation and subsequent pulverization of the bones. Loma
Guadalupe served as a sort of cemetery, and several central tombs were
surrounded by a series of smaller ones. The sepulchers could be used several
times, and in some instances bones were removed to be transported elsewhere. An
area devoted to food preparation has also been identified in the complex,
perhaps associated with a ceremony that complemented the burial.
. . .
REGIONAL CAPITALS AND FUNERARY RITES. Upon the fall of Teotihuacan during what
has become known as the Epi-classic period (650–900 CE) a process of
decentralization in Mesoamerica led to the formation of potent, regional
citystates such as Xochicalco, Cholula, and Tajin. Xochicalco, in the state of
Morelos has yielded impressive sepulchers inside religious buildings and
domestic settings. In the context of sacred architecture, the persons were
buried with fine anthropomorphic plates and other green-stone jewelry, while
domestic burials included ceramic offerings. The site is also known because of
an artificial terrace called “the cemetery,” where twenty-one burial sites and
a “trophy skull” were found. (Ximena Chávez Balderas, trans. Fernando
Feliu-Moggi, “Funeral
Rites: Mesoamerican Funeral Rites,” in Encyclopedia of Religion [2d
ed.; Thompson/Gale, 2005], 3242, 3243)
Further
Reading:
Dominique
Rissolo, Holley Moyes, and Scott Patrick Mcavoy, “Scanning the
Stone Sepulcher: Multimodal Digital Documentation of Actun Tunichil Mucnal”
(UC San Diego Data Reports, 2025)
