Ancient ruins The mystery of the huge underground tunnel of Teotihuacan is being unraveled by archaeologists

byLWYang

TeotihuacanIs an archaeological site of the gigantic religious city that became the center of Teotihuacan civilization and is located about 50 kilometers north of Mexico City. Teotihuacan that there are at least 80,000 people in the year AD and there were more than 150,000 residents temporarily between the years 200 and 750, Teotihuacan is comparable to the big cities of China and the Middle East at the time It was proud of its scale. The efforts and research results of archeologists who study such Teotihuacan are introduced in NAUTILUS.

Rediscovering the Pyramid of the Sun
http://nautil.us/issue/57/communities/the-city-at-the-center-of-the-cosmos

Continued investigation by archaeologists has revealed that the magnificent landscape of Teotihuacan symbolized the spiritual world. The building of Teotihuacan has 600 pyramids, 500 studio, 2000 apartment houses, huge multiple plazas etc. are confirmed. Teotihuacan was not decided all the composition from the beginning of construction, and the city was reorganized at a certain point. At that time, the residential areas were divided by walls and consolidated, the residences of craftsmen, the houses of soldiers,Oaxaca ValleyAnd the residences of foreigners who came from the coastal area of ​​the Gulf of Mexico, it seems that the place of residence was determined by the class.

All the roads intersect at right angles and the huge road that traversed Teotihuacan in the north-south direction was known as the "boulevard of the dead" since the beginning when it was conquered by Spain. The "pyramid of the sun" and "the pyramid of the moon" on the northern side of the boulevard of the dead stands as if it dominates the whole city of Teotihuacan, but this is stretched by the municipal between 150 AD and 350 AD The refurbishment work was done. At that time, the road of the dead was extended to the south one mile (about 1.6 kilometers), and a new district called "Ciudadela" which is the center of politics and religion was built.

bySharron McClellan

About Ciudadela "Temple of QuetzalcoatlIn addition to being located, it was not well known until recently. However, full-scale research and preservation of the Mexican Anthropological History Institute began in 2003, and it turned out that Ciudadela had a structure like a huge walled square. Also, it is speculated that the temple of Quetzalcoatl, painted blue and decorated with shells, represents "calm sea = universe".

When the Mexican Anthropological History Research Institute started investigating Ciudadela, the surroundings of Ciudadela were very damaged by rain and the influence of tourists. Therefore, it was first necessary to protect the shrine of Ciudadela and Quetzalcoatl. The Plaza in Ciudadela originally had over 200 huge religious structures, but the Teotihuacan builder who built Ciudadela destroyed the original building and converted it into a huge square. This square is designed to collect water and is thought to be like a gigantic mirror when rainwater gathers, reflecting the temple and the sky of Quetzalcoatl.

This huge water sculpture structure seems to represent the existence of the quiet ocean before the creation of the world and the world that Teotihuacan people thought. The view that Ciudadela was built as a symbol of mythological story based on the myth that creates the world is strengthening.

byDaniel Mennerich

In 2003, heavy rain fell in the vicinity of Teotihuacan, the existence of huge dimples and space revealed in the basement of Quetzalcoatl Temple. After careful planning for years, archaeologist Sergio Gomez Chavez explored the underground space of the temple using the rope. There is a space floor 14 meters below the ground, where Mr. Chavez discovers that a huge tunnel extends in the east and west. To Teotihuacan, not only the giant city on the ground but also a huge remains in the basement had spread.

From the judgment that we need to be more careful in exploring the underpass, we decided to scan the underground tunnel from the ground with the radar and grasp the structure first. As a result of the radar scan, it was found that the total length of the tunnel was around 100 to 120 meters, and the east end was located in the center of Quetzalcoatl Temple. Also, I found that there are huge rooms in the middle and the eastern end of the tunnel.

byDimitri dF

From these information archaeologists made a hypothesis about Teotihuacan and the underground space. First, Teotihuacan is a facility that symbolized the universe that people of those days symbolized, and is considered to be divided into three levels, the heavens, the ground and the underground. The end of Teotihuacan's east-west north and south, that means the end of the world. Next, the quarter of Quetzalcoatl represents the sacred mountain which was first born from the sea of ​​the creation, it means that it is the center of the world. And the space spread under the temple means that the space itself and the space itself holds the power to maintain the universe and the gods, which represents the dark world. Finally, the powerful people at that time are performing ceremonies to obtain religious power in the underground space, there may also be bodies of people who became ceremonial sacrifices and possibly religious bodies about it.

Obstacles such as stones and blocks were scattered in the aisle to enter the underground space, and the investigation of people entering was extremely difficult. The interior of the tunnel was filled with a large number of dedicated items left by the people of ancient Aztec, and Mr. Chavez and his colleagues archaeologists had to remove the deductions and obstacles in the tunnel little by little .

byDarren and Brad

Tunnel drilling reached 65 meters in 2013, and two new rooms were discovered. The interior walls and ceiling of the room were coated with powders made from metal, and it was shining like a starry sky in a dark tunnel. It was found that more than 400 metal balls are stored in one room, but it seems totally unknown what the meaning of this massive metal ball has at the moment.

Tunnel drilling continued thereafter, and at the time of writing the article, the excavation to the eastern end which is in the basement of quetzalcoatl in the center of the temple was completed. The total length of the tunnel is 103 meters and the depth is about 17 meters from the ground. Three rooms were found at the eastern end, as expected in advance laser scanning. Result of investigationJade,Serpentine,Turquoise,obsidian, 75 thousand dedicated items including jewels and minerals such as mercury were discovered. Inside there were rubber balls, clay ship, shells, human skin and so on.

byOscar Palma

Mr. Chavez and colleagues recreated the structure of the sacred universe and the works of the gods, and in the space spread under the temple of Quetzalcoatl imitating the original sacred mountain, the ruler gained supernatural power I think that it was. The reason why such an underground space was created in the huge square where the residents of Teotihuacan can accommodate is that the ruler disappears into the underground space during the ceremony and the rulers can visit the unknown world It is because it can appeal. In addition, it seems that the plaza is a gigantic water mirror meaning the universe, so that underground space under it is always protected by sacred water.

The investigation of Ciudadela was carried out very carefully confirming the religious meaning that the underground space and the open space were made. Teotihuacan has a lot of remains besides Ciudadela left untouched, but because it is a huge ruins too much, it will take a long time to clarify the whole thing with careful investigation. Mr. Chavez et al. Are planning to investigate the underground tunnel newly between the pyramid of the sun and the pyramid of the moon and I am very much looking forward to elucidating the mystery of the huge underground ruins of Teotihuacan.

bySharron McClellan