Beneath The Teotihuacan Pyramid, The Remains Of 2,000-Year-Old Flower Offerings Were Found In A Tunnel
Beneath the Teotihuacan pyramid in Mexico, the remains of 2,000-year-old flower offerings were discovered within an underground tunnel.
The pyramid is in the ancient city of Teotihuacan, which is located just northeast of what is now Mexico City.
When the pyramid was first built, it stood 75 feet tall, making it taller than ancient Egypt’s Sphinx of Giza.
It is part of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, a serpent deity who was worshipped in Mesoamerica.
Archaeologists found four flower bouquets 59 feet below the ground in the deepest part of the tunnel.
They were laid under a pile of wood that was set on fire. It was the first time that well-preserved plant materials were uncovered in the city’s ruins.
Next to the bouquets, there were pottery pieces and a sculpture of Tlaloc, a god associated with fertility and rainfall.
The bouquets were likely part of a ritual that was performed in the tunnel. They were still tied with cotton ropes.
Each bouquet varies in the number of flowers. One bouquet contained 40 flowers, while another had 60 flowers.
Alexandra Lande – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
The archaeologists also found evidence of a large bonfire with several pieces of burnt wood. It appeared that the people set the bouquets on the ground and covered them with large quantities of wood, protecting the blooms from the flames.
The tunnel where the finds were made was originally discovered in 2003 after heavy rain opened a sinkhole near the temple.
Since then, the site has yielded thousands of artifacts, such as cocoa beans, sculptures, pottery, obsidian, and animal remains.
In 2017, researchers stumbled upon a miniature landscape with tiny mountains and pools of liquid mercury.
The tunnel’s walls were adorned with pyrite, also known as fool’s gold, which reflected firelight to create the illusion of a starry sky.
The archaeologists are still trying to understand why ancient Teotihuacan people made this tunnel and to what extent they used it. They plan to investigate the species of the flowers so they can determine when they were collected and learn more about the ritual activities.
Teotihuacan was one of the largest cities in the world eight centuries before the rise of the Aztec Empire.
It flourished between roughly 100 B.C. and 600 C.E. By around 500 C.E., it reached a population of 125,000 to 200,000.
It was an important pre-Hispanic power, trading with faraway parts of Mesoamerica and spreading its cultural influence across the region.
Teotihuacan maintained both hostile and friendly relationships with nearby Maya cities. In 550, much of the city was destroyed by a fire, possibly set by an enemy army. It was abandoned by 750.
Today, the ruins of Teotihuacan are a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon are the site’s best features.
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