The Mexican Ministry of Culture reported that an ancient place of worship has been discovered in the central part of Mexico City. This find shows that despite the invasion of the Spanish conquistadors under the leadership of Hernán Cortés, the Aztecs continued to follow their religious customs for at least some time.
This year marks a sad, but most important date for the history of Mexico – the 500th anniversary of the invasion of the Spanish forces led by Hernan Cortez. The conquistadors not only captured the Inca empire, but also planted Christianity in the New World with fire and sword.
However, as archaeological research shows, the Aztecs did not stop following their own beliefs, but did so in secret. This is evidenced, in particular, by the altar found in the center of Mexico City, in the courtyard of an ancient house. One of the rituals among the Aztecs was human sacrifice – material evidence of this terrible procedure was found in this altar. Excavations lasted three months, a large amount of earthwork had to be done – probably, the owners of the ancient house themselves, fearing the Spaniards, at some point decided to bury the altar under a layer of earth.
Today’s new ways of searching for antiquities have dramatically expanded the possibilities of archaeologists. With the help of lidars (Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) – a technology based on the reflection of light waves) in the past few years, no less than 500 interesting sites have been discovered.
In Mexico City itself, in addition to the altar, another amazing find was made: a tower of skulls was discovered in 2020. Its purpose is not fully understood. This tower could be one of the top tourist attractions in Mexico City, and it probably will, but so far, the coronavirus is hampering it.
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