Huge Offering of Starfish to an Aztec War God Discovered in Mexico

A huge offering of over 160 starfish was made to an Aztec war god over 500 years ago, archeological findings in Mexico show.

Archeologists were excavating the Templo Mayor in Mexico City at the end of 2021 when they made the huge discovery, a statement from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology (INAH) said. While starfish have been unearthed in the temple before, this is one of the largest offerings found to date.

The scattered remains of starfish and other sea creatures were found, as well as the skeleton of a female jaguar, which had been offered with a spear in its claw.

The Templo Mayor was the central temple for the Aztec empire, built in the Mexica people's capital Tenochtitlan. It was constructed in the 1300s, and stood about 90 feet tall. The most important rituals in Aztec life were made there.

The elaborate offering was unearthed in a section of the temple known as Cuauhxicalco, which was dedicated to Huītzilōpōchtli, the Aztec god of war. The spear placed in the jagaur's claw also made it clear that this offering was related to war, according to the archeologists.

The Aztecs revered sea creatures, particularly starfish. Mexico city is far away from the ocean, but experts have found that starfish and other sea creatures were brought to temples, often still alive, as offerings to the gods.

Archeologist Miguel Báez Pérez said in an INAH statement that for the Mexica people, starfish and jaguars related to the night sky.

"A good part of the Mesoamerican peoples believed that the origin of the world was linked to the sea, therefore, marine organisms were treated as relics. In the case of the Mexicas, their military power allowed them to bring thousands of marine objects and recreate an entire aquatic environment in Tenochtitlan itself," Báez Pérez said.

One of the starfish was almost completely intact despite being placed there over 500 years ago. Archeologists suspect it may have been one of the first starfish placed in the offering. Under the weight of other elements, and the jaguar, it could have sunk below a level of fiber and preserved its internal structure, INAH said.

The INAH said that to find such a well-preserved starfish from Aztec times is unusual. The rest of the starfish discovered in this offering were scattered.

Experts determined the starfish belongs to the Nidorellia armata species, most commonly known as the chocolate chip star fish because it is a yellowish color and dark spots, resembling a cookie.

Báez Pérez said that until archeologists dive deeper into the discovery, it is difficult to know the meaning of such a large offering.

However, according to INAH, the location of the offering suggests it was placed close to the year 1500. This was a time of transition between the reigns of Ahuízotl and Moctezuma Xocoyotzin, INAH said. At the time, Aztec ruler Ahuízotl had recently conquered the regions where the starfish came from.

Similar offerings have been found in the temple before. In 2017, U.K. newspaper The Times reported archeologists had uncovered six starfish species, four sand dollar species and two kinds of urchins.