A spider monkey was sacrificed seventeen hundred years ago to strengthen ties between two major powers of pre-Hispanic America.
The paper compares the offering by Maya elites to Teotihuacan to China's panda diplomacy in the 70s.
Researchers were able to reconstruct the life and death of the primate using multiple techniques, and found she was between five and eight years old when she died.
The methodology is finally here and it's an exciting time to be doing archaeology.
The discovery of the animal's remains in the ruins of Teotihuacan was the beginning of the work.
The Ateles geoffroyi spider monkeys aren't native to the elevated region, leaving Sugiyama with a puzzle to solve.
The location of the remains gave vital clues. The site of cultural exchange and innovation was called Teotihuacan.
The pyramids of the Moon, Sun, and Feathered Serpent are well known. The Plaza of the Columns is a complex where neighboring Maya maintained a presence similar to a modern embassy.
The skeleton of a monkey was found next to a golden eagle and surrounded by a collection of high-value items.
Thousands of ceramic shards from a grand feast and a Maya mural of a spider monkey were found.
The Teotihuacan state's rise and military involvement in Maya cities was preceded by an exchange at the highest levels.
The results of chemical analysis show that the monkey lived in a humid environment and ate plants and roots before she was captured.
Corn and chili peppers were included in her diet after she was captured.
The spider monkey may have been an alien to the high altitudes of Teotihuacan, with the fact that she was a primate possibly adding to her charisma and appeal.
The authors wrote that the animal was bound behind it's back and had its feet tied up.
"Though savage to modern eyes, we need to understand and contextualize these cultural practices... and what it meant to be able to give up that which is most precious to you."
Agence France- Presse.
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