New underground tunnel complex at Temple of the Moon in Teotihuacán, Mexico

DaFedora

New member
How did I overlook this? Message from July by International Business Times,
Archaeologists discover 'underworld tunnel' below Teotihuacán's Pyramid of the Moon

A team from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) were excavating the large central square by the Pyramid of the Moon, known as Plaza de la Luna, when they came across a cavity below the ground. Other similar features have previously been discovered in recent years below other buildings at Teotihuacán, including one tunnel at the Temple of the Plumed Serpent.

True, as I visited the site myself for the first time in July 2016. When exploring the area ('Citadel') around that specific temple (amazingly preserved head figurines on the staircase ledges!) me and my friend spoke to some folks at a squared-off rectangular tent that covered the access for the archaeological team to the tunnel they were working on.

Now, the researchers will have to conduct more investigations to learn more about the features of this tunnel and find out what purpose it would have served. They think it might contain artefacts, but more research will have to be conducted to confirm the presence of the tunnel before it can be explored.

"The function of the tunnel may have been to reproduce the underworld, a world where life, animals and plants originated. It's possible that it was used purely for rituals, as part of ceremonies to celebrate the agricultural cycles," Ortega pointed out.

And further reported on at: Tunnel Found at Teotihuacan’s Pyramid of the Moon
 
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TheFedora

Active member
As someone who is starting his Master's degree in Archaeology this fall... and with a special interest in mesoamerican archaeology.. Ive been to Teotihuacan, its amazing there. I've heard about this tunnel for a while, due to subscribing to various archaeology magazines, but it still amazes me every time I read about it.

Yeah, caves are extremely sacred to most Mesoamerican cultures (most of all, the Maya) so Im interested in seeing what they come up with in further examination of this discovery. I would say most likely the cave contains artifacts, if in fact rituals were conducted there.
 
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