Decolonizing human sacrifice and cannibalism in the archaeology and anthropology of the Aztecs

In this thesis, the focus lies on the practice of human sacrifice and cannibalism in Aztec culture, and how they are represented in the Historia General de las Cosas de Nueva España and the Primeros Memoriales. Both documents have been written by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, in sixteenth-century New Spain. The Historia General is one of the most cited works in the practice of archaeology and anthropology, regarding human sacrifice and cannibalism in the Aztec world. In general, the Historia General is cited in academic literature without any form of critical comment. By analyzing the first and second book of the Historia General and the Primeros Memoriales, and looking at the motivations behind these two colonial documents, it becomes clear that the Historia General is by no means an objective source of information, and uses human sacrifice and cannibalism as a colonial tool, in order to promote colonialism, the conquest of New Spain, the spread of evangelization and the eradication...Show moreIn this thesis, the focus lies on the practice of human sacrifice and cannibalism in Aztec culture, and how they are represented in the Historia General de las Cosas de Nueva España and the Primeros Memoriales. Both documents have been written by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, in sixteenth-century New Spain. The Historia General is one of the most cited works in the practice of archaeology and anthropology, regarding human sacrifice and cannibalism in the Aztec world. In general, the Historia General is cited in academic literature without any form of critical comment. By analyzing the first and second book of the Historia General and the Primeros Memoriales, and looking at the motivations behind these two colonial documents, it becomes clear that the Historia General is by no means an objective source of information, and uses human sacrifice and cannibalism as a colonial tool, in order to promote colonialism, the conquest of New Spain, the spread of evangelization and the eradication of the Aztec religion. Therefore, archaeologists and anthropologists should be cautious and critical when using the Historia General in their research on human sacrifice and cannibalism, and base their research on empirical data, for the most part. In doing so, the critical assessment of colonial works such as the Historia General, will lead to a decolonization of the practice of archaeology and anthropology.Show less

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Decolonizing human sacrifice and cannibalism in the archaeology and anthropology of the Aztecs