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A Turquoise Mosaic Skull Spent 60 Years in Europe. Researchers Now Want to Know Who He Was
A human skull covered with turquoise, shell, jadeite and rock crystal spent six decades in a museum in the Netherlands. Now back in Mexico, it is now being documented in three dimensions as researchers confront a more difficult question: who was the man behind the mosaic? Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced…
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LiDAR Reveals How Ancient Maya Households May Have Managed Rainwater
Ancient Maya families in the northern Yucatán Peninsula may have positioned their homes to take advantage of natural slopes, allowing rainfall to flow toward open land used for cultivation. The possibility has emerged from a study led by archaeologist Carlos Matos Llanes and announced by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). Researchers are…
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Archaeologists Find Teotihuacan-Era Tombs and 47 Miniature Vessels Near Tula
Beneath the floors of an ancient domestic complex near Tula, archaeologists have found a burial world tied to the age of Teotihuacan. The discovery includes human remains, shell ornaments, shaft tomb-like graves, and 47 miniature ceramic vessels placed beside the dead. The excavation, carried out near the community of Ignacio Zaragoza in Mexico, is part…
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1,300-Year-Old Maize God Sculpture Discovered in Mexico Reveals Epiclassic Beliefs
A 1,300-year-old maize god sculpture discovered in Tlaxcala, Mexico, is offering rare insight into Epiclassic Mesoamerican belief systems and cultural connections across the region. The basalt artifact was uncovered in San Damián Texoloc during excavation work on private land. The recovery was led by José Eduardo Contreras Martínez, working with the National Institute of Anthropology…
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4,000-Year-Old Rock Art Discovered in Mexico Forces Railway Reroute Near Ancient Tula
A routine railway project in central Mexico has led to an unexpected archaeological turning point. During preliminary work on the Mexico–Querétaro passenger line, researchers uncovered a previously undocumented concentration of rock art at El Venado in Hidalgo. The discovery—made by specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)—has already prompted authorities to change…
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Ancient City of Cuicuilco Aligned with the Equinox, Study Reveals Early Solar Urban Planning
At sunrise near the spring equinox, the sun rises directly in line with a prominent hill on the eastern horizon of Cuicuilco—an alignment that may not be accidental. A new study suggests this ancient Mexican city was deliberately designed to follow the movement of the sun, pointing to an early form of astronomical urban planning.…
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Ancient Toltec Altar With Human Remains Discovered Near Tula Ruins in Mexico
Archaeologists working near the ancient city of Tula in central Mexico have uncovered a Toltec ceremonial altar surrounded by human remains and ritual offerings, shedding new light on the religious life and urban layout of one of Mesoamerica’s most influential civilizations. The discovery emerged during salvage excavations linked to the construction of the Mexico City–Querétaro…