Archaeologists Find Pre-Columbian Temple Beneath Supermarket in Mexico City Deutsche Welle
go to original December 1, 2016

The newly uncovered remains of a temple built more than 650 years ago are visible at an archaeological site in the Tlatelolco neighbourhood of Mexico City. (Alex Cruz/EPA)

Archaeologists on Wednesday announced the discovery of a pre-Columbian temple in central Mexico City believed to have been built for Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl, the god of wind.

The circular platform, approximately 36 feet (11 meters) in diameter and four feet (1.2 meters) tall, had been built in the pre-Hispanic city of Tlatelolco, an economic rival to the nearby political power of Tenochtitlan.

"The structure is very important because it was part of the sacred area of Tlatelolco," said Pedro Francisco Sanchez Nava, national archaeology coordinator for Mexico's National Anthropology and History Institute.

"It shows how one of the deities of the Mexica-Tlatelolca pantheon was represented in this space," Nava said.

More than 650 years old, the temple had been discovered during excavation work under a demolished supermarket that sits meters away from a commercial plaza under construction.

During the excavation, archaeologists discovered a total of 43,000 objects, including 1,000 complete works. Offerings found at the site comprised ceramic figures of monkeys, bird bones and even an infant with no signs of trauma.

The temple is a "glimpse into the past, a place that opens up for us, from the archeological side, to understand the development of the cities that preceded us," Nava said.

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