MEXICO CITY.- Commonly associated with human burials and edifications, as companions or guardians, archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) discovered a site with an exceptional archaeological context according to what has been reported up to date from dog burials in the pre-Hispanic era.

The remains of 12 dogs were found in a well, while it was excavated for archaeological salvaging labors.

Given the level in which these were found, they must have been placed around the same time more than 500 years from now, with no known association to an individual’s burial –as the soul’s guide to the underworld– or as an offering dedicated to a temple or building.

The temporary relationship has been made in accordance to other waste materials that have been recovered in excavation wells of the site during the Mexica apogee in Cuenca, explained the archaeologist Rocio Morales Sanchez.

“Dog burials have been found in other archaeological contexts, but in this case, it’s not associated to a human burial or a construction. There is no doubt this is a special finding given the number of skeletons, and because we haven’t found that they’ve been bound to a building or an individual.”

She also added that it will be necessary to excavate deeper to see if there are any elements under this deposit that will help further interpretations. Afterwards they will receive the lab analysis to determine cause of death, whether they were ill or malformed, or something that will help determine why they were buried in this space.

The skeletons were found in an anatomical position, face up and face down, without a particular pattern. Most of them are generally in a great state of conservation, with some exceptions because of a modern wall’s intrusion, detailed the Director of Archaeological Salvages of INAH.

According to archaeologist Antonio Zamora –who assists in these labors–, during a visit to the excavation site, the biologist Alicia Blanco Padilla said that it was most likely that the remains found belonged to common dogs.

She explained that other breeds such as the techichi are recognized by their short extremities, while the xoloitzcuintli have been identified by their premolar losses at an adult age. The skeletons found are medium sized, correspond to different ages, and have most of their dentures, with the exception of one with severe erosion.

Some years ago, another archaeological salvage was made in this site. Underneath what today are apartment buildings, they found and rescued the vestiges of a domestic unit, where they also found human burials, archaeol