The skeleton of a spider monkey – a type of primate endemic to the tropical forests of Central America, has just been excavated by a group of archaeologists at the Teotihuacán site, 40 km east of Mexico City.
Illustration photo (Source: AP)
A spider monkey skeleton dating back 1,700 years was recently excavated underground in Mexico’s ancient capital Teotihuacán, opening a new perspective on the relations between major civilizations in Central America in prehistoric times. Colombo.
According to a reporter from the Vietnam News Agency in Mexico, the skeleton of a spider monkey – a type of primate endemic to the tropical forests of Central America, was just excavated by a group of archaeologists at the Teotihuacán site, 40 km south of Mexico City. Winter.
However, the cold and dry highland climate of Teotihuacán is not a habitat for spider monkeys, whose closest area these primates can grow is in the tropical forests some distance away. 1,000km, where the famous Mayan civilization once existed.
The above discovery led scientists to hypothesize that in the period from about 250 to 300 years AD, there was a friendly relationship between the Teotihuacán people and the Maya people, before the mutiny between the two people. Great empire in Central America during the pre-Columbian period.
According to the latest report published in the world’s leading scientific magazine Science Magazine, scientists have hypothesized that this spider monkey was given to Teotihuacán by Mayan dignitaries – the city-state at that time. is said to be the largest urban area in the world with a population of up to 125,000 people. Explaining the above issue, American archaeologist Barbara Arroyo said that for a long time the international academic community has asked many questions about the relationship between the two cities. relationship between these two ancient civilizations, and the finding of the spider monkey skeleton is considered an important scientific evidence.
Ms. Barbara said the results of dental research showed that the animal used to eat succulent foods found only in tropical forests, until about 3 years old when it was taken to the cold, dry highlands of Teotihuacán with food. eat mainly human-cultivated grains such as corn and seeds.
The excavation results also showed that the spider monkey skeleton had its limbs tied with many precious jewelry surrounding it, indicating that this monkey most likely ended its life cycle after being buried alive in a ritual. Sacrifice at Teotihuacán around 250-300 AD.
However, one of the most important pieces of evidence supporting the hypothesis of a relationship between the two civilizations is the finding of some Mayan personal belongings in the area near the spider monkey skeleton. This shows that it is very likely that Maya dignitaries once stayed at Teotihuacán.
Concluding this groundbreaking archaeological result, Ms. Nawa Sugiyama, one of the scientists in the research team, emphasized that in historical context, the discovery of Mayan relics around the area The area where the spider monkey was found suggests that the spider monkey was a diplomatic gift between the Maya and Teotihuacán, rather than a trade item.
