kenb
Bronze Member
Mexican archeologists are investigating if the tomb of an Aztec emperor lies beneath a recently excavated stone monolith depicting a fearsome god. It would be the first burial site ever found of a leader of the 1427-1521 Aztec empire, said archaeologist Eduardo Matos on Thursday.
Matos, who leads the excavation project at the Templo Mayor ruins in Mexico City's main square, said a date carved on the stone suggests it contains the remains of emperor Ahuizotl, the father of Moctezuma, the Aztec ruler defeated by the Spaniards.
"We think this could be a gravestone covering the place where this ruler was laid to rest," Matos said, as he showed reporters the carved face of the stone for the first time since it was discovered October 2.
The stone was unearthed at the foot of the western face of the Templo Mayor, the Aztecs' main religious site. Researchers have spent more than a month removing dirt and stones covering the 13-foot monolith.
They hope to begin excavating the fractured stone itself to explore a shallow pit that lies beneath it. Carvings on the stone show Tlaltecuhtli, an Aztec god was so fearsome the Aztecs normally buried her depictions face-down in the earth.
kenb
Matos, who leads the excavation project at the Templo Mayor ruins in Mexico City's main square, said a date carved on the stone suggests it contains the remains of emperor Ahuizotl, the father of Moctezuma, the Aztec ruler defeated by the Spaniards.
"We think this could be a gravestone covering the place where this ruler was laid to rest," Matos said, as he showed reporters the carved face of the stone for the first time since it was discovered October 2.
The stone was unearthed at the foot of the western face of the Templo Mayor, the Aztecs' main religious site. Researchers have spent more than a month removing dirt and stones covering the 13-foot monolith.
They hope to begin excavating the fractured stone itself to explore a shallow pit that lies beneath it. Carvings on the stone show Tlaltecuhtli, an Aztec god was so fearsome the Aztecs normally buried her depictions face-down in the earth.
kenb