Several tombs and burials have recently been found inside Teotihuacan's Pyramid of the Moon, the dominant building at the north end of Teotihuacan's so-called Avenue of the Dead. Burial 5 was discovered by archaeologists Rubén Cabrera and Saburo Sugiyama. The richness of the objects in the tomb, its location inside one of Teotihuacan's most important ritual buildings, and the foreign origins of the interred individuals provide a counterpart to similar Teotihuacan remains found in the Maya region. Together, these point to a symbiotic relationship between the two cultures, rather than one of Teotihuacan dominance. The burial's Individual 5A, likely a man between fifty and sixty years of age, was adorned with jadeite jewelry, including a necklace, a pectoral with a crossed-bands motif, and earflares with an incised decoration (bottom of photograph above). Individual 5B, a man between forty-five and forty-nine years of age, wore jewelry (bottom of photograph below) similar to that of Individual 5A. Individual 5C, the tomb's principal occupant, was heavily adorned with finely made jewelry, including jadeite and shell. A cache in the center of the tomb contained the seated jadeite figurine (top of photograph below) wearing a pectoral, two greenstone bead necklaces, and earflares; freshwater and marine shells; obsidian figurines; and decayed organic remains. The figurine, which likely held a scepter or standard, replicates the seated position of the individuals and probably played a symbolic role. Other offerings filled the tomb chamber, including animal skeletons, shells, greenstone adornments, projectile points, stone disks, and obsidian blades and figures (top of photograph above). Reference: Sugiyama, Saburo, and Rúben Cabrera C. 2003. "Hallazgos recientes en la Pirámide de la Luna." Arqueología Mexicana 11 (64), 42-49. Photograph at top of page: (bottom) Necklace, Pectoral, and Earflares Individual 5A, Burial 5, Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan AD 400-500 Jadeite Pectoral: 10.4 cm; earflares: diam. approx. 7.3 cm (top) Standing figures Burial 5, Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan AD 400-500 Obsidian Largest: 22 cm Proyecto Pirámide de la Luna (INAH/Aichi Prefectural University/Arizona State University)

Photograph just above: (bottom) Necklace, Pectoral, and Earflares Individual 5B, Burial 5, Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan AD 400-500 Jadeite Pectoral: 10.5 x 3.5 cm; earflares: diam. 3.9 x 7.6 cm (top) Seated Figure with Pectoral, Necklace, and Earflares Burial 5, Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan AD 400-500 Jadeite Figure: 12.3 x 8.2 x 5.7 cm; earflares: 3.9 x 5.7 cm Proyecto Pirámide de la Luna (INAH/Aichi Prefectural University/Arizona State University)

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