Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Aztec water tunnel built by Emperor Moctezuma I in the 15th Century and linked to the god of water and fertility Tlaloc right in the middle of a busy Mexican city.
The Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced that they have found an ornate tunnel wall that has several rock carvings and statue parts with huge archaeological value in the city of Ecatepec de Morelos in the central Mexican state of Mexico.
According to local media, experts found 11 carved images on the wall of a new 8.4-metre (27.5-foot) long tunnel as well as the remains of a wooden gate.
The archaeologists link the tunnel images to the deity Tlaloc, a member of the pantheon of gods in the Aztec religion and the god of the rain, water and fertility, as it shows shapes and images that resemble water drops or rain.
Archaeologist and project coordinator Raul Garcia Chavez told local media that they have been working on the site since 2004 when they launched a conservation project around la Calzada de San Cristobal, a part of the infrastructure that was built in the XVII century by indigenous people as it was reported by the monk Juan de Torquemada.
The ornate water tunnel is a new find and it was discovered by The 2004 INHA excavation project and has continued through different phases along with work to build a bus line.
He added: “The aim of the recent excavation was to determine areas related to the Albarradon de San Cristobal [historical landmark].”
Experts believe that the Aztec emperor Moctezuma I (1398-1469) built a dyke with the help of the architect Nezahualcoyotl to prevent the valley from flooding.
At the site, they have found building materials that date back to the Formative Period in the Americas’ prehistory between 900BC and 150AD when the first permanent villages reliant on agriculture settled down.
Among these findings, archaeologists found objects made of glass, porcelain, majolica and metate, as well as a seated decapitated sculpture and the base of a human effigy made of basalt and used as a keystone.
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