News - Aztec Wolf Burial Found in Mexico City - Archaeology Magazine (2024)

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The wolf's body was then placed in the stone box, along with the remains of other animals from the air, land, and sea. The box was then set on a layer of flint knives. Wolves are thought to represent Huitzilopochtli, Aztec god of war and the sun.

Indigenous culture

The Mexican wolf was held in high regard in Pre-Columbian Mexico, where it was considered a symbol of war and the Sun. In the city of Teotihuacan, it was common practice to crossbreed Mexican wolves with dogs to produce temperamental, but loyal, animal guardians.

Archaeologists excavating at the foot of the Aztecs' Great Temple, in downtown Mexico City, discovered a dazzling collection of gold artifacts and the skeleton of a juvenile wolf.

Spanish: hombre lobo - licántropo - lobizón.

Wolves are mentioned multiple times in the Bible, symbolizing various aspects such as deception, danger, and destruction.

Without Mexican wolves, elk and deer are free to dawdle in valleys and by streams, eating their fill and degrading the ecosystem. Gray wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone resulted in flourishing streamside vegetation and increased biodiversity.

Wolves are actually very dependent on their pack, they have a strong social structure. As a spirit animal the wolf symbolizes an intriguing mix of power, loyalty, guardianship, teamwork and wildness. Many cultures traditionally value the wolf as a powerful guiding force.

On one hand, they represent the untameable forces of nature (e.g. Fenrir, Skoll, and Hati), while on the other hand, they can also represent bravery, loyalty, protection, and wisdom.

DESCRIPTION: Roughly five feet in length, Mexican gray wolves generally weigh between 50 and 80 pounds. Their coats are buff, gray, and rust colored, often with distinguishing facial patterns. They have large heads with thick muzzles, bushy tails, oversized paws, and long legs.