Archaeologists have discovered unexpected artifacts in a Toltec burial

During excavations on the territory of the Toltec settlement of Tula in Mexico, scientists came across starfish. It was founded in 400 BC. After the fall of Teotihuacan, the Toltecs made Tula the capital of their empire. The settlement flourished until the XNUMXth century, he writes Heritage Daily.

The offering discovered by archaeologists in Palacio Quemado was made in 950-1000 AD. there are. It consisted of a mirror of turquoise and pyrite, mother-of-pearl slabs to the south, shell beads to the north, calcareous deposits to the west, and a fragment of coral to the east.

In addition, scientists found three "chocolate stars" (Nidorellia armata) and two "pillow stars" (Pentaceraster cumingi). These stars come from the Pacific Ocean. They can be found from the Galapagos Islands and Peru to the Gulf of California. The stars prove that the Toltec civilization and the communities of the Pacific coast interacted with each other. They maintained close cultural and trade ties.

The finds indicate that the Toltecs gave starfish a symbolic meaning. They used them in their rituals. Thus, the stars played an important role in the spiritual life and worldview of the Toltecs.