Mexican archaeologists say they have found signs that the tomb of an Aztec emperor could lie beneath a recently excavated stone monolith showing a fearsome, blood-drinking god. It would be the first burial site ever found of a leader of the 1427-1521 Aztec empire. A date carved on the stone suggests it contains the remains of emperor Ahuizotl (1486-1502), the father of Moctezuma, the Aztec ruler defeated by the Spaniards. Carvings on the stone show the Aztec god of the earth, Tlaltecuhtli, who is depicted as a woman with huge claws, a stream of blood flowing into her mouth as she squats to give birth. Tlaltecuhtli was believed to devour the dead and then give them new life.
The oldest and largest known Mexican moon calendar was shown to the public by archaeologists and authorities on Monday (November 6) at the ruins of Tamtoc in San Luis Potosi near the Gulf of Mexico. The massive 27-tonnes stone calendar is a product of the Huasteca culture, dating back to 600 B.C. Mexican archaeologist Guillermo Ahuja came across the artefact in February 2005 and he spent 19 months cleaning and restoring it with a crews before showing it to a general audience. The seven-metre long, 4.2 metre tall find is adorned with pre-Colombian figures representing fertility, water, life, nature and death. Feminine figures with water flowing from their heads represent the beliefs of a culture that considered water the essence of life.
Archaeologists have announced that a monolith discovered on Oct. 2nd near Mexico City's main square is perhaps the largest ever unearthed in the city's centre. The monolith is rectangular and measures nearly 13 feet on its longest side. The largest, until this latest discovery , monolith from the city's centre, the circular Piedra del Sol, or Aztec Calendar, unearthed in 1790 - has a diameter of 12 feet. The 24-ton Aztec Calendar stone, is however nearly double the weight of the new monolith, which is estimated to be only 14 tons.
Researchers said Thursday they have unearthed what may be one of the earliest calendar entries in Meso-America, a massive stone sculpture that suggests women held important status roles in pre-Hispanic culture. The monolithic design depicts two decapitated women. Markings on top of the figures appear to depict an entry from, or part of, a 13-month lunar calendar, said archaeologist Guillermo Ahuja, who led the excavation of the monument.
"This would be the first depiction of a calendar or calendar elements in such an early time period"
Mexican archaeologists have found what may be the most significant Aztec ruin in decades, with the unearthing of an altar and a monolith in the busy heart of Mexico City, Mayor Alejandro Encinas said on Wednesday.
The 15th-century altar, part of the Aztec empire's main temple, was uncovered last weekend near the city's main Zocalo square, along with the three-metre stone slab, most of which is still buried under earth.
Archaeologists have discovered a massive 6th-century Indian pyramid beneath the site of a centuries old re-enactment of the crucifixion of Christ.
Built on a hillside by the mysterious Teotihuacan culture, the pyramid was abandoned almost 1,000 years before Catholics began re-enacting the crucifixion there in the 1800s, unaware they were celebrating one of the holiest moments of their faith on a site originally dedicated to gods of earth, wind and rain. While residents around the hillside in Iztapalapa, on the east side of Mexico City, express pride at the discovery, it illustrates the difficulty of preserving the many layers of Mexican history: archaeologists have decided not to fully excavate the site to avoid disturbing the Christian rites.
Mexico City’s cathedral is built atop the remains of an Aztec temple, as are countless other churches in Mexico, partly as an attempt to forcibly supplant pre-Hispanic religions. But the case of Iztapalapa hillside, known as the Hill of the Star, appears to be mere geographical coincidence. Pre-Hispanic cultures chose the hills that dot the otherwise flat, mountain-ringed Mexico Valley for their ceremonial sites, and post-colonial communities did the same, perhaps because the hilltops have commanding views or are safe from floods.
Measuring 150 yards on each of its four sides, the 18-yard tall pyramid was carved out on a natural hillside around 500 AD.
It was abandoned around 800 AD, when the Teotihuacan culture collapsed for unknown reasons. But the pyramid had also been partially rebuilt by the Coyotlatelcas, a little-known culture that went on to found the Toltec civilisation. The archaeological site is not safe from the sprawl of the modern megalopolis and its 19 million inhabitants. Archaeologists found that part of the temple had been destroyed by unauthorised home building on the hillside just 15 years ago.