Posted on 03/29/2002 6:46:05 AM PST by blam
Pre-Columbian ruins could be a pyramid
EFE - 3/29/2002
Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) this week confirmed having uncovered pre-Columbian ruins in the central state of Morelos that might be a pyramid or palace from the late Mesoamerican post-classical period (1200-1521).
The find was made in February, when the owner of a property in the town of Tepotzlan was preparing to lay the foundation for a snack bar he hoped to build alongside the road and unearthed the ruins, the newspaper Reforma reported.
Residents in the area alerted local officials, who called in scientists to inspect the site. They determined a steam shovel had struck the corner of an ancient building located at the foot of Tepozteco hill.
Anthropologist Ana Emma Peña told the newspaper the steam shovel had damaged one of the building's corners, but that "thanks to the destruction" the site had been discovered.
Yet to be determined is whether the structure is "a temple or a palace, but what's certain is that it had a ritual relationship with the pyramid," Peña said.
Work on the site has uncovered ceramic shards from the Aztec III and IV periods as well as fragments of Cholultec and Xochimilc artifacts, she added.
The artifacts prove trade took place between these people and the Xochimilco group that had settled in Tepotzlan, Peña said.
"The idea is to excavate the entire property, which should cough up a large amount of material and tons of data regarding Tepotzlan's pre-Hispanic past," Peña said. "But doing so will require purchasing the property from the owner."
Tepoztlan inhabitants hope "the new pyramid" will become a new tourist attraction for the area.
The owner, meanwhile, stated his willingness to enter into some kind of financial arrangement that would enable him to turn over the property.
A bio professor told me once that if the matter that makes up the tree outside the anatomy lab window were to be made transparent but leaving the tree parasites opaque, the tree would still be highly visible due to the population density of such organisms.
We scamper around the surface more or less unaware of what is right beneath our feet. Some geologists, roadside diner owners, and archaeologists scratch at the surface here and there, but for the most part we are as unaware of the half of our universe underneath us as we are unaware of the half of the universe above our heads.
We live on a thin plane, a two-dimensional section through the three-dimensional universe; and we live in the present moment as well, not seeing far into the past or the future. Generally-speaking, present company excepted. :)
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.