What modern day city is the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan buried underneath?
Mexico City
Nearly 500 years after Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés toppled the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, the remains of the ancient metropolis continue to lay hidden mere metres under modern-day Mexico City.
What are some of the archeological finds from the Aztecs?
The relics include the remains a nine-year-old boy clothed to resemble Huitzilopochtli, Aztec god of the sun and war, as well as those of a jaguar dressed as a warrior, Reuters reports. Some of the other intriguing finds include an atlatl (or spear-thrower), gemstones, and dozens of mother-of-pearl inlaid flint knives.
What is the importance of Tenochtitlan?
In less than 200 years, it evolved from a small settlement on an island in the western swamps of Lake Texcoco into the powerful political, economic, and religious center of the greatest empire of Precolumbian Mexico. Tenochtitlan was a city of great wealth, obtained through the spoils of tribute from conquered regions.
How old are Aztec?
The Aztecs (/ˈæztɛks/) were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521.
What did archaeologists find at the Aztec site in Mexico?
Artifacts found at the site included characters with western traits wearing hats [Credit: Meliton Tapia, INAH] Back to 2017 and the new find. Archaeologists reportedly found almost complete skeletons that were buried in the fetal position, as well as many bone fragments as Archaeology News Network reported .
What kind of artifacts were found in Mexico City?
Throughout downtown Mexico City, archaeologists have found some 40,000 artifacts, including mirrors made of shiny obsidian, Pacific turtle shells that were much-prized by the Aztecs, and precious jade-and-turquoise masks, all of which attest to the empire’s wealth. Other objects—mollusk shells from the Pacific,…
Why was the Aztec capital built on a lake bed?
And because the Aztec capital was built on a filled-in lake bed, they often have to pump water out when these areas flood. In 1978, workers laying electrical cables accidentally discovered the Aztecs’ Templo Mayor, or High Temple, two blocks from the city’s central square, Zócalo.
Where can I find archaeology in Mexico City?
Today archaeology is happening everywhere in Mexico City—just off the main square, in alleys, patios, and back lots. One dig is being conducted in the basement of a tattoo parlor.