Ancient temple discovered at Mexico City construction site

Record ID: 75888

  • Title: Ancient temple discovered at Mexico City construction site
  • Date: 5th December 2016
  • Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARCHAEOLOGIST, JUAN CARLOS EQUIHUA, SAYING: "On the one hand it allows us to get to know breadth of the ceremonial enclosure which I think was previously unknown information. We have a parameter but as we are advancing in the investigations we see that the enclosure was more than what we had. I think this is a very important piece of information and allows us to magnify the dimensions of the ceremonial enclosure." HEAVY MACHINERY AT CONSTRUCTION SITE VARIOUS OF WORKERS AT CONSTRUCTION SITE GENERAL VIEW OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
  • Embargoed: 20th December 2016 16:13
  • Keywords: ancient temple Juan Carlos Equihua pre-Hispanic
  • Location: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
  • City: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
  • Country: Mexico
  • Reuters ID: LVA0035BLZ77N
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:A temple dating back to pre-Hispanic Mexico has been discovered at a Mexico City construction site, shedding new light onto the capital's ancient civilizations.
    Archaeologists unearthed the circular temple that is believed to be dedicated to god of wind Ehecatl-Quetzacoatl at a shopping centre construction site.
    The discovery expands the traditional boundaries of pre-Hispanic Mexico City's ruins from those in the city centre in the areas known by experts as Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco.
    "The most important thing is the construction because it is unique at least for the top surface because this is not Tenochtitlan or Tlatelolco so there hasn't been one registered (of this kind here) until now," said archaeologist, Juan Carlos Equihua.
    In excavations at the site archaeologists have reportedly found eight sets of human remains, with experts believing the site was ceremonial.
    "On the one hand it allows us to get to know breadth of the ceremonial enclosure which I think was previously unknown information. We have a parameter but as we are advancing in the investigations we see that the enclosure was more than what we had. I think this is a very important piece of information and allows us to magnify the dimensions of the ceremonial enclosure," added Equihua.
    Tenochtitlan was the capital of the Aztec empire, which the Spanish razed in 1521 to found Mexico City, conquering the Aztecs.
    The Aztecs, a warlike and religious people who built monumental works and are credited with inventing chocolate, ruled an empire stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and encompassing much of modern-day central Mexico.
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