Tzompantli

A tzompantli was a wooden rack, often set on a carved stone platform, where the skulls of sacrificed people were displayed on horizontal poles near a temple. It proclaimed the power of the gods and of the city that raised it.

Major examples have been found at Chichén Itzá and, in 2015, the Huei Tzompantli beside the Templo Mayor in downtown Mexico City. Don’t confuse it with the temazcal, which was a steam bath.