Latest news with #Teotihuacan
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
‘Andy Warhol in Iran' searches for drama in a quirk of history
In a 2013 article for the Atlantic, Interview magazine editor Bob Colacello remembered traveling to Mexico with the publication's co-founder, pop artist Andy Warhol. The visit included a day trip to the pyramids of Teotihuacan, where Warhol refused to get out of the car, declaring the monumental pre-Columbian archaeological site 'just a pile of old rocks.'
The Sun
6 days ago
- Science
- The Sun
Inside ‘gateway to underworld' underneath 1,800-year-old city which holds ‘toxic' secret that scientists ‘can't explain'
AN ANCIENT pyramid thought to be a 'gateway to underworld' was discovered to contain a hidden secret. The historic site, located in an ancient city, is thought to house a supernatural secret. 6 6 6 Quetzalcoatl Temple in Mexico, also known as the Feathered Serpent Pyramid is thought to have been built around 1,800 to 1,900 years ago. During an excavation project researchers discovered large amounts of liquid mercury in 2015. Its something experts believe means the structure was used to 'look into the supernatural world.' They also believe its presence could indicate that a king's tomb or ritual chamber could be lying underneath the ancient city of Teotihuacan. The pyramid was originally unsealed in 2003, allowing researchers like Dr Sergio Gómez to spend six years excavating the tunnel. During this excavation, researchers uncovered three chambers at the end of a 300 foot tunnel. In addition to the liquid mercury, they also found artefacts like jade status, jaguar remains, and a box of carved shells and rubber balls. The tunnels and adjoining structures lie 60 feet below the temple. In their 16 years excavating the temple, the research team uncovered over 3,000 ceremonial and ritual artefacts. They have used their discoveries to create a comprehensive survey of the pyramid and tunnel using LiDAR scanners and photogrammetry. Liquid mercury is not an uncommon discovery - with Dr Rosemary Joyce saying that archaeologists had found the substance in three other sites around Central America. Its believed that mercury symbolises an underworld river or lake. Dr Annabeth Headrick agreed with this interpretation, telling the Guardian that the the qualities of liquid mercury might appear to resemble "an underworld river, not that different from the river Styx. "Mirrors were considered a way to look into the supernatural world, they were a way to divine what might happen in the future. "It could be a sort of river, albeit a pretty spectacular one," Dr Headrick added. The Quetzalcoatl Temple is located around 12 miles northeast of Mexico City in Teotihuacán - the heart of the Mesoamerican Teotihuacan universe. Around 4.5 million people visit the temple - which is the third largest in the city - every year. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and was listed on the World Monuments Watch in 2004 as tourist visitation led to the site's deterioration. More than a hundred human remains, which may have been sacrificial victims, were found under the structure in the 1980s. The Aztecs believed it was the place where Gods were created, with sacrifices being made as tributes. 6 6 6
CNN
23-05-2025
- CNN
At least 12 injured in hot air balloon crash in Mexico
At least twelve people were injured in a hot air balloon crash near an archaeological site near Mexico City on Friday, local authorities said. The balloon undertook a 'forced landing' in San Martin de las Pirámides after hitting an air pocket, according to a statement from the civil protection agency for the state of Mexico. The twelve people who were aboard are being treated for injuries at a local clinic, the statement said. Images shared by authorities and geolocated by CNN show that the crash occurred a short distance from the Pyramid of the Moon, a popular tourist site in the ancient city of Teotihuacan. The balloon lay draped over fencing and power lines along Tuxpan Avenue, a two-lane road just over a thousand feet from the base of the pyramid. The civil protection agency added that the balloon was operated by a tour company that offers hot air balloon rides to view the pyramids from above. When CNN called the number listed on the company's website, the representative would not comment on the incident. The Attorney General's Office for the state of Mexico reported that they are investigating a 29-year-old man whom police detained. According to the Mexican government, Teotihuacan was once one of the largest cities in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon form the twin centers of the ancient ruins there. Balloon rides around the pyramids are popular among tourists visiting Mexico, according to a government tourism website. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CBS News
09-04-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Ancient altar found in Guatemala jungle apparently used for sacrifices, "especially of children," archaeologists say
An altar from the Teotihuacan culture, at the pre-Hispanic heart of what became Mexico, was discovered in Tikal National Park in Guatemala, the center of Mayan culture , demonstrating the interaction between the two societies, Guatemala's Culture and Sports Ministry announced this week . The enormous city-state of Tikal, whose towering temples still stand in the jungle, battled for centuries with the Kaanul dynasty for dominance of the Maya world. Far to the north in Mexico, just outside present day Mexico City, Teotihuacan -- "the city of the gods" or "the place where men become gods" -- is best known for its twin Temples of the Sun and Moon. It was actually a large city that housed over 100,000 inhabitants and covered around 8 square miles. The still mysterious city was one of the largest in the world at its peak between 100 B.C. and A.D. 750. But it was abandoned before the rise of the Aztecs in the 14th century. Lorena Paiz, the archaeologist who led the discovery, said that the Teotihuacan altar was believed to have been used for sacrifices, "especially of children." "The remains of three children not older than 4 years were found on three sides of the altar," Paiz told The Associated Press. "The Teotihuacan were traders who traveled all over the country (Guatemala)," Paiz said. "The Teotihuacan residential complexes were houses with rooms and in the center altars; that's what the residence that was found is like, with an altar with the figure representing the Storm Goddess." Researchers posted video on social media showing aerial footage of the altar as well as detail of the structure's interior. "It's something unique in Guatemala, nothing similar had been found," Paiz said in a statement . It took archaeologists 1½ years to uncover the altar in a dwelling and analyze it before the announcement. Edwin Román, who leads the South Tikal Archaeological Project within the park, said the discovery shows the sociopolitical and cultural interaction between the Maya of Tikal and Teotihuacan's elite between 300 and 500 A.D. Román said the discovery also reinforces the idea that Tikal was a cosmopolitan center at that time, a place where people visited from other cultures, affirming its importance as a center of cultural convergence. María Belén Méndez, an archaeologist who was not involved with the project, said the discovery confirms "that there has been an interconnection between both cultures and what their relationships with their gods and celestial bodies was like." "We see how the issue of sacrifice exists in both cultures. It was a practice; it's not that they were violent, it was their way of connecting with the celestial bodies," she said. The altar is just over a yard wide from east to west and about 2 yards from north to south. It is about a yard tall and covered with limestone. The dwelling where it was found had anthropomorphic figures with tassels in red tones, a detail from the Teotihuacan culture, according to the ministry's statement. The researchers published their findings in the archaeological journal Antiquity. The researchers made their announcement less than a year after a hidden Mayan city was discovered in a dense Mexican jungle by a doctoral student who unknowingly drove past the site years ago on a visit to Mexico. Tikal National Park is about 325 miles north of Guatemala City, and the discovery site is guarded and there are no plans to open it to the public. Tikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reached its peak between 200 and 900 AD when Mayan culture encompassed parts of what are now Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. Teotihuacan, famous for its pyramids of the sun and the moon, is located about 25 miles northeast of Mexico City. That culture reached its peak between 100 and 600 AD. Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
The Independent
08-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Remains of three children found at ancient sacrifice altar hidden in jungle
A Teotihuacan altar, which archaeologists believe was used for sacrifices, has been unearthed in Tikal National Park in Guatemala, the centre of Mayan civilisation, shedding new light on the interactions between the two ancient cultures. The discovery, announced on Monday by Guatemala's Culture and Sports Ministry, was made within the ancient city of Tikal - an enormous city-state which battled for centuries with the Kaanul dynasty for dominance of the Maya world. Far to the north in Mexico, just outside present-day Mexico City, Teotihuacan - 'the city of the gods' or 'the place where men become gods' - is best known for its twin Temples of the Sun and Moon. It was actually a large city that housed over 100,000 inhabitants and covered around eight square miles (20 square kilometres). The still mysterious city was one of the largest in the world at its peak between 100 B.C. and A.D. 750. However, it was abandoned before the rise of the Aztecs in the 14th century. Lorena Paiz, the archaeologist who led the discovery, said that the Teotihuacan altar was believed to have been used for sacrifices, 'especially of children.' It took archaeologists one and a half years to uncover the altar in a dwelling and analyse it before the announcement. 'The remains of three children not older than four years were found on three sides of the altar,' Paiz said. 'The Teotihuacan were traders who traveled all over the country (Guatemala),' Paiz said. 'The Teotihuacan residential complexes were houses with rooms and in the centre altars; that's what the residence that was found is like, with an altar with the figure representing the Storm Goddess.' Edwin Román, who leads the South Tikal Archaeological Project within the park, said the discovery shows the sociopolitical and cultural interaction between the Maya of Tikal and Teotihuacan's elite between 300 and 500 A.D. Román said the discovery also reinforces the idea that Tikal was a cosmopolitan centre at that time, a place where people visited from other cultures, affirming its importance as a centre of cultural convergence. María Belén Méndez, an archaeologist who was not involved with the project, said the discovery confirms 'that there has been an interconnection between both cultures and what their relationships with their gods and celestial bodies was like.' 'We see how the issue of sacrifice exists in both cultures. It was a practice; it's not that they were violent, it was their way of connecting with the celestial bodies,' she said. The altar is just over a yard (1m) wide from east to west and nearly 2 yards (2m) from north to south. It is about a yard (1m) tall and covered with limestone. The dwelling where it was found had anthropomorphic figures with tassels in red tones, a detail from the Teotihuacan culture, according to the ministry's statement. Tikal National Park is about 325 miles (525 kilometres) north of Guatemala City, the site is guarded and there are no plans to open it to the public.
