Stained and broken bones from a 2,500 year old site of Tlatelcomila outside Mexico City have not only proved that late pre-classic Mexico experienced cannibalism, we now know how the victims were cooked. Experts were prompted to do analysis based on the red and yellow color of the bones. They uncovered an ancient recipe for human flesh.
Some of the victims were boiled. Others were grilled. The flesh was marinated with indigenous chilies and annatto – seeds from the achiote tree still used in Latin American cuisine. The yellow bones were boiled for a long duration with annatto. The red bones got their color from the intensity of the cooking. Experts replicated the process by boiling cow bones to achieve similar hues. Cannibalism is not just a thing of the past in Mexico Recently reports suggest the Knights Templar Cartel was initiating members by having them devour the hearts of children.
