Sometimes, the most impressive discoveries are found by accident. That’s exactly what happened in June, when construction work in Mexico unearthed the remains of an archaeological site potentially over 1,000-year-old.
Archaeologists in Hidalgo, Mexico have investigated the foundations of a pyramid uncovered earlier this year during work on the region’s federal highway 105. The archaeological rescue project, detailed in a December 5 statement by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), revealed that the site was part of a pre-Hispanic settlement, potentially shedding light on the ancient human occupation of Hidalgo’s mountainous Sierra Alta region.
“The site and monument were thoroughly documented with the support of drones for the elaboration of digital photogrammetric models,” a spokesperson said in the statement.
The excavation of the site, led by Mexico’s Ministry of Culture through the INAH in Hidalgo, also revealed five “sectors” and at least ten archaeological mounds. In addition to these structures, archaeologists collected 155 samples, including ceramics, shells, stone artifacts, lime floors, charcoal, soil, and carbonized wood, which they will study further through laboratory analyses in the coming months.
The INAH archaeologists dated the complex to between the Epiclassic period (650 to 950 CE) and Late Postclassic period (1350 to 1519 CE), which predates the arrival of Europeans in Mexico. They suggested that it was associated with the small Metztitlan kingdom of indigenous people, also known as the Metzca, which remained independent—including of the more powerful Aztec Empire—up until the arrival of the Spanish at the beginning of the 16th century. They had a “multi-ethnic imprint” that was still present when priests from the Order of Saint Augustine began building churches and convents, according to the INAH.
Archaeologists further identified the site as part of a pre-Hispanic settlement called San Miguel, for its modern proximity to the town of San Miguel Metzquititlán. San Miguel Metzquititlán is situated within Barranca de Metztitlán, now a nature reserve within the Sierra Alta region where some evidence, according to the INAH, points to human activity dating back 14,000 years ago.
After “exhaustive study,” the INAH archaeologists reburied the archaeological complex—a conservation method often employed when there are not enough resources to properly manage a heritage site. Before its complete reburial, the INAH noted that experts protected the structures with geotextile, a permeable textile incorporated with other materials, such as rock or soil, to protect archaeological ruins, among other landmarks. As a final protective measure, workers have now built a rock wall to further shelter the reburied site from the nearby road construction.
While it’s disappointing to see heritage disappear beneath the soil again, it’s better to preserve crucial history underground until it can be properly managed. It remains to be seen what further lab analyses will glean from the samples kept above ground.
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