LA ALMOLOYA
ELITE, CITIZENS
AND SLAVES
Detail of AY21, with the bones of the baby highlighted.
General view of tomb AY21 depicting the remains of a woman and a newborn baby.
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Thanks to other investigations, we know that bearing halberds means belonging to the Argaric ruling class12. Only 10% of the population belonged to this elite who, over time, made their rights inheritable13. The rest were people with certain social rights or “citizenship” (50%) and servants or slaves (40%). In the second phase of La Almoloya, burials of all these groups have been documented. Tombs AY21 and AY24 are a good example of the offerings that were deposited in the funerary rituals of individuals with citizenship rights.
