50,000 Artifacts Found in Mexico's Teotihuacan Ruins May Reveal More About Mysterious Civilization
Archeologists have discovered around 50,000 artifacts inside a tunnel deep within one of the ruins in the ancient city of Teotihuacan.
The tunnel, archeologists believe, may lead to a royal tomb. This possibly major find could lead to more information about the mysterious civilization.
The entrance to the tunnel was discovered back in 2003 under the Temple of the Plumed Serpent, which is one of the pyramids in the ancient city, and archeologists ventured into the tunnel recently using remote-controlled robots, according to Reuters.
Among the 50,000 objects discovered inside the 1,800-year-old tunnel were around 4,000 wooden artifacts, as well as stone sculptures, jewelry, shells and obsidian blades. The magnitude of the find has prompted archeologists to believe that the tunnel leads to a possible royal tomb.
"Due to the magnitude of the offerings that we've found, it can't be in any other place," said Sergio Gomez, from Mexico's National Anthropology and History Institute.
"We've been able to confirm all of the hypotheses we've made from the beginning," he added.
According to the Associated Press, such a large offering at the tunnel's entrance could mean that a member of the elite class was entombed there. Archeologists only managed to dig near the entrance of the 340-foot tunnel.
"Because this is one of the most sacred places in all Teotihuacan, we believe that it could have been used for the rulers to ... acquire divine endowment allowing them to rule on the surface," Gomez said.
"We have not lost hope of finding that, and if they are there, they must be from someone very, very important," the archeologist added.
Teotihuacan remains a mysterious civilization that flourished between 100 B.C.E and 750 C.E. The tunnel is believed to have been closed around 250 C.E.
Teotihuacan means "abode of the gods" in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs.
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