Cremation in early Mexico
Excavation of two graves in the Mixtec Indian village of Tayata, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca along the Pacific Coast, have revealed evidence that the Mixtec cremated some of their dead as early as 3,000 years ago, researchers reported Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The find represents the earliest evidence for cremation, a practice that was later reserved for Mixtec kings and Aztec emperors.
Evidence from the graves indicates that Mixtec elite may have emerged as early as 1100 BC, and that the elite consumed dogs as part of their diet.
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