Mexican archaeologists have found a large number of Aztec sacrificial treasures sealed in stone boxes on the steps of a group of temples in the capital, Mexico City, which archaeologists believe was dedicated to reigning emperor Ahuitzotl from 1486 to 1502, which may have led to further discoveries of the long-lost royal tomb.
These treasures were located in the place known today as the Templo Mayor.
The treasures were reportedly located in what is today known as the Templo Mayor, the main Aztec temple in their capital, Tenochtitlan.
The collection includes a jaguar dressed as a warrior, clutching a sacrificed eagle, and hundreds of starfish and coral branches.
Archaeological excavation site.
Archaeologists believe it was a sacrifice dedicated to reigning emperor Ahuitzotl from 1486 to 1502, which could lead to further discoveries of the long-lost royal tomb.
Because the archaeological team found a mysterious bulge in the middle of a stone box, which indicates something solid underneath, possibly the remains of the emperor's cremation.
An offering to the reigning emperor Ahuitzotl from 1486 to 1502.
Lead archaeologist Dr Leonardo Lopez Lujan said: "We are looking forward to a great discovery. ”
The exact date when the Aztecs or Mexicans founded Tenochtitlan is unknown, but it is thought to have been around 1325 AD, and the Templo Mayor was built around the same time.
It was rebuilt six times to commemorate the reign of different Aztec emperors, but there are two temples dedicated to two gods at all times, Tralok, the rain god, and Whittsiropochitri, the god of war.
After the main temple was destroyed by the Spaniards, stone was used to build the Metropolitan Catholic Cathedral.
The main temple towered over the clouds before it was destroyed after the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1521, and the conquerors built the Metropolitan Catholic Cathedral out of these stones.
In the decades following the conquest, chroniclers detailed the burial rituals of the three Aztec emperors. According to these accounts, the cremated remains of the rulers were placed on or near a circular platform along with lavish offerings and the hearts of the sacrificed slaves.
A jaguar dressed as a warrior holding a sacrificed eagle in its hands.
Much of the remains are obscured by the rubble left behind after the temple's destruction, but archaeologists have recovered more than 200 offering boxes since excavations began in the first half of the 20th century.
Dr Lujan said that despite the offerings, Aztec royal tombs had never been found, so it was "very important" that Ahuizotel's urn might have been found.
A sacrificial boy about 9 years old, he has a wooden God of War disk, a jade bead necklace and wings made of eagle bone.
Regarding the uncovering of the urn containing Ahuizotel's remains, Dr. Luyan said that exhumations would take at least another year.
Joyce Marcus, an archaeologist at the University of Michigan in the United States, said the sacrifices illuminated the Aztecs' "worldview, ritual economy, and a clear connection between imperial expansion, war, military capabilities, and ruler roles."
Text/Nandu reporter Chen Lin