Preparing a Corpse for Burial

Preparing a Corpse for Burial

Collection: Florentine Codex book 3
Location: Laurentian Library of Florence
Date: 1499-1590
Author: Fray Bernardino de Sahagún

Higher status members of the Aztec society were wrapped, clothed, and cremated. Their ashes were placed in urns, most often depicting one of the many gods. These urns would hold the jade ‘heart’ and would often be buried in or around their home. Much like mummies, Aztecs would offer gifts of food and drink to the remnants in the urn to aid in the next world. The urns could be made of a variety of different materials; some were stone, others were ceramic.