A road building project in Mexico has uncovered the base of a pyramid that may be about 1,400 years old.
The discovery, made in June, was reported by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) following an archaeological investigation.
Crews made the find while adding a third lane to Federal Highway 105 in the Hidalgo region, north of Mexico City.
Archaeologists believe the base was built in a city close to present-day San Miguel Metzquititlán that existed between 700AD and 1519AD.
INAH said “exhaustive documentation” of the site had been carried out with the support of drones making digital photogrammetric models.
It said some 155 samples of ceramics, fossils and stone were collected, as well as lime, coal, earth and charred wood, which will be subject to radiocarbon dating.
To preserve the site, a masonry wall has been built around the pyramid.
The institute commented: “The data generated by this archaeological record will contribute to the understanding of human occupation in the Sierra Alta region of Hidalgo, specifically in the Barranca de Metztitlán area, where the first settlements date back at least 14,000 years.”
Hidalgo is home to several pre-Hispanic cultures, such as the Atlantes of Tula, which left towering Toltec statues of Quetzalcoatl. There is also the Xihuingo site, associated with the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacán, and has the El Tecolote pyramid and astronomical markers. However, the area where the road was built was not known as a potential archaeological site.
Héctor Labra Chávez, director of tourism for San Agustín Metzquititlán, said: “There are no known remnants of pre-Hispanic civilizations in this immediate area. Deeper studies are essential to uncover the cultural context of this significant find.”
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