An ancient structure found lurking underneath a brand new highway is thought by boffins to be thousands of years old – ‘Structure 1’ was found in Mexico in June this year
Boffins believe an ancient structure discovered during the construction of a new road could be thousands of years old. The pyramid, known simply as ‘Structure 1’, was found as workers erected the Pachuca-Huejutla highway in San Agustín Metzquititlán, a town in central-eastern Mexico.
The astonishing find was uncovered in June this year. Experts from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) are inspecting the site and believe it to be dated from either the Epiclassic period – from 650-950 CE – or the later Late Postclassic period which accepted to be from 1350 to 1519 CE.
The site was under the control of the “Metzca lordship”, which INAH says had a “multi-ethnic imprint”. Boffins also believe settlements in the area go back around 14,000 years.
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“This archaeological record provides valuable insights into the human occupation of the Sierra Alta region, particularly in the Barranca de Metztitlán area, where historiography traces settlements back 14,000 years,” the INAH said in a report.
The pyramid is around 42 metres long and 11 metres high. Further excavation could be tricky, however, with the pyramid’s base lying beneath the highway.
Héctor Labra Chávez, Director of Tourism for San Agustín Metzquititlán, said according to Archaeology Mag: “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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Last month, history boffins in the UK looked to recover King Richard III’s voice. The state-of-the-art technology even gave the King a Yorkshire accent.
Richard III was King of England from 1483 until his death in 1485 at the age of 32. His remains were discovered in 2012 under a car park in Leicester by Philippa Langley through her Looking For Richard Project. They were identified using a range of scientific disciplines including DNA analysis.
A team at Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University created an avatar based on a reconstruction of Richard III’s head, led by cranio-facial identification expert Professor Caroline Wilkinson.
Experts from various fields helped put the pieces of the puzzle together, including speech and language therapy, dentistry, forensic psychology and archaeology.
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