600-year-old stone box — filled with dozens of weapons — unearthed in Mexico. See it
Hidden by dirt and forgotten by passing centuries, an ancient stone box sat near the center of Mexico City, Mexico. The box went unopened — until now.
Archaeologists began excavating an ancient religious building at Tlatelolco Archaeological Zone after a hail storm damaged its roof, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a May 23 news release. The rectangular building, known as the Great Basement, was built of pink stone and used as a place of worship for Tlatelolco’s ancient military elites.
During the excavations, archaeologists followed a crack in the flooring and detected several large, carefully arranged stones underneath, the institute said.
Archaeologists started digging and hit two layers of rock. One layer had black paint on it, and the other was made of pink stone. Underneath sat a stone box.
Inside the box sat three blocks of copal tree resin, 59 pocket knives and seven obsidian stone knives, all between 4 and 6 inches in length, the institute said. Photos show these weapons.
Archaeologists identified the ancient box as a collection of offerings buried between 1375 and 1418 as part of a ceremonial ritual when the Great Basement was expanded.
Archaeologists suspect the 600-year-old box was dedicated to a specific deity but won’t be able to confirm this until further analysis is done. More artifacts might still be buried in the box.
Excavations at the Great Basement also found other pottery artifacts and a mass grave of people who died during a cholera epidemic in 1833, the institute said.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
This story was originally published May 28, 2024 at 9:32 AM with the headline "600-year-old stone box — filled with dozens of weapons — unearthed in Mexico. See it."
