Discovery of Aztec dog cemetery puzzles archaeologists

Archaeologists have discovered “an exceptional” Aztec burial site under an apartment building in Mexico City containing the remains of twelve dogs, animals that had major religious and symbolic significance to the Aztecs.  Researchers have been left puzzled by the finding, which is the first time dogs have been found buried together at one site. What’s more, they appear unconnected to human burials and do not appear to have been used as offerings as part of a sacrificial ceremony.

In Aztec culture, dogs had a ritual importance in death and burial rites. According to some pre-Hispanic beliefs, a dog accompanied his owner in the underworld and would guide the human soul into a new life after death. Among the Aztecs, the god Xolotl was the canine companion of the Sun, following its path through both the sky and the underworld.