Teotihuacán: 50-foot chamber found according to researchers
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A number of the Aztecs ancient relics remain dotted around Mexico. It is here that the city of Teotihuacan stands, a vast archaeological complex, northeast of the country’s capital, Mexico City. A once flourishing pre-Columbian era settlement, a striking street called the “Avenue of the Dead” pierces the heart of Teotihuacan, leading to the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun, the latter two with panoramic views from their summits.
It is within these pyramids that archaeologists have uncovered myriad ancient relics, offering glimpses into the lives of the intriguing ancient civilisation.
The Temple of Quetzalcoatl, also known as the Feathered Serpent pyramid, has offered particularly stunning finds, one of its excavations explored during Discovery’s short video, ‘Shocking Artefacts And Human Remains Found In 2,000-Year-Old Pyramid’.
In 2003, researchers began digging deep inside the temple, stumbling upon an intricate tunnel system.
Archaeologists have since searched for more tunnels, with researcher Sergio Gómez in 2017 finding yet another hole bored into the soil.
This tunnel appeared untouched by thieves, but Mr Gómez and his team had to remove 1,000 tonnes of soil, likely put there by the ancient Aztecs as a way to seal the opening.
As the narrator noted: “The effort has been worth it because under the debris he’s found a treasure trove of ancient artefacts.”
In the years since, more and more stunning relics have turned up.
Mr Gómez explained: “We’ve been working very carefully using lots of small tools so that we don’t lose any of the riches that we uncover.”
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During the documentary, they came across two ancient pots, which had not been touched for at least 1,800 to 2,000 years.
Mr Gómez said: “The quantity and quality of many of these artefacts is really surprising.”
In all, he and his team uncovered more than 100,000 different objects along the tunnel.
He described them as “extraordinary objects,” and noted that, “some of them [have] never [been] seen before in any Mexican archaeological exploration”.
Some of the pieces unearthed included greenstone crocodile teeth, crystals shaped into eyes, and sculptures of jaguars ready to pounce.
While the tunnel itself was designed to hide the artefacts, it was also designed to impress, with the walls and floor coated with iron pyrite, a mineral also known as fool’s gold.
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When light hit the pyrite, the walls would have dazzled with a thousand lights, mimicking the night sky.
Mr Gómez said: “We can imagine when the priests entered with a torch how it would have sparkled as the flame moved.”
The space is believed to have been in use for more than two centuries though 250 AD.
The city of Teotihuacan at one point is thought to have been home to as many as 200,000 people who mostly lived in multi-family stone compounds painted with colourful murals.
Ceremonies in the tunnel were carried out to offer gifts to the gods of the underworld, or to the city’s main deity the storm god.
Several bouquets of flowers, though tot have been used during the ceremonies, were among the many items found beneath the pyramid.
This discovery especially excited archaeologists, as Mr Gómez explained: “What surprised us the most and for which we are very grateful is that at the end we found four flower bouquets.
“The bouquets are perfectly well preserved, and you can see how they were tied.
“We even found the ropes with which they were tied.
“We do not know what type of flowers they were, but the bouquets are very well preserved.
“We were able to see some leaves, which will allow the biologists to identify what type of flowers were used for this ritual.
“If we can identify the type of flowers, we will be able to know what time of the year it could have happened because that is when they used these flowers.”
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