Archaeologists are opening a cave sealed for more than 30 years deep beneath a Mexican pyramid to look for clues about the mysterious collapse of one of ancient civilisation"s largest cities. The soaring Teotihuacan stone pyramids, now a major tourist site about an hour outside Mexico City, were discovered by the ancient Aztecs around 1500 AD, not long before the arrival of Spanish explorers to Mexico. But little is known about the civilisation that built the immense city, with its ceremonial architecture and geometric temples, and then torched and abandoned it around 700 AD.Archaeologists are now revisiting a cave system that is buried six metres beneath the towering Pyramid of the Sun and extends into a tunnel stretching for some 90 metres with a height of 2.4 metres.
They say new excavations begun this month could be the key to unlocking information about the sacred rituals of the people who inhabited the city, later dubbed "The Place Where Men Become Gods" by the Aztecs who believed it was a divine site. "We think it had a ritual purpose. Offerings were placed at the very end of the tunnel as part of the pyramid"s construction process," Mexican archaeologist Alejandro Sarabia said. "We want to find out why the Teotihuacan people sealed it and when," he said.Mr Sarabia said the tunnel was first discovered in the early 1970s but it was closed soon afterward, and most of the information about it was lost when the archaeologist who found it died. Teotihuacan is Mexico"s oldest major archaeological site and during its heyday in 500 AD, the city was home to some 200,000 people, rivalling the size of ancient Rome at that time, according to archaeologists.
Call it "The Passion of the Maya": Mel Gibson is quietly filming a movie in a Mexican jungle about the collapsed civilization. Given Gibson's cinematic history, experts on the ancient Maya are looking forward to his upcoming epic, "Apocalypto," with a mixture of curiosity and dread. They're pleased that Hollywood will feature a period of world history still little understood but worry that once again a movie may sacrifice historical accuracy for the sake of a good sto...Portal to mythical Mayan underworld found
Mexican archeologists have discovered a maze of stone temples in underground caves, some submerged in water and containing human bones, which ancient Mayans believed was a portal where dead souls entered the underworld. Clad in scuba gear and edging through narrow tunnels, researchers discovered the stone ruins of eleven sacred temples and what could be the remains of human sacrifices at the site in the Yucatan Peninsula. Archeologists say Mayans believed the underground complex of water-filled ...Pre-Incan female Wari mummy unearthed in Peru
Archaeologists have uncovered carved stucco panels depicting cosmic monsters, gods and serpents in Guatemala's northern jungle. They are the oldest known depictions of a famous Mayan creation myth. The 26ft long panels were created around 300 BC and show scenes from the core Mayan mythology, the Popol Vuh. It took investigators three months to uncover the carvings while excavating El Mirador, the biggest ancient Mayan city in the world, the site's head researcher, Richard Hanse...Upright skeleton found in Maya tomb
Archaeologists working in Honduras have discovered an entombed human skeleton of an elite member of the ancient Maya Empire that may help unravel some longstanding mysteries of the vanished culture. The remains, seated in an upright position in an unusual tomb and flanked by shells, pottery, vessels, and jade adornments, suggest a surprisingly diverse culture and complex political system in the influential Maya city of Copán around A.D. 650. Located at the western edge of modern-day Honduras nea...Research disputes Maya collapse belief
New research on the Maya civilization which is believed to have collapsed due to its overuse of natural resources and slash-and-burn farming may have actually held a great appreciation forthe environment."For decades, the Maya –– andtheir descendents –– have gotten a bad rap from archaeologists, anthropologists, and other scholars who cite the ancient civilization"s agricultural practices for its eventual collapse. . " View: Fu...What caused the fall of the Maya ?
For over one thousand years the Maya dominated Central America, now scientists believe that their demise may have been severely hastened as the result ofthe deforestation that fuelled their oncemighty civilization."For 1200 years, the Maya dominated Central America. . At their peak around 900 A.D., Maya cities teemed with more than 2,000 people per square mile -- comparableto modern Los Angeles County. " View: Full Article | S...Possible Aztec offerings found in Mexico
Submitted by Pendekar Timur: Archaeologists diving into a lake in the crater of a snowcapped volcano found wooden scepters shaped like lightning bolts that match 500-year-old descriptions by Spanish priests and conquerors writing about offerings to the Aztec rain god. The lightning bolts — along with cones of copal incense and obsidian knives — were found during scuba-diving expeditions in one of the twin lakes of the extinct Nevado de Toluca volcano, at more than 13,800 feet above sealevel.Scie...Mayans played pyramids to make music
Sounds like raindrops falling into a bucket of water can be heard while climbing the colossal staircase of Mexico"s El Castillo pyramid suggesting that the Mayans may have used a form of "music" to try and communicate with their gods."Sit on the stepsof Mexico"s El Castillo pyramid in Chichen Itza and you may hear a confusingsound. . As other visitors climb the colossal staircase their footsteps begin to sound like raindrops fa...The list of Ancient Inca and Mayan Gods
The list of Mayan and Inca Gods
Ah Kinchil
In Maya mythology, Ah Kinchil is the sun god.
Ah Puch
In Maya mythology, Ah Puch isthe god of death.
Ahau Chamahez
In Maya mythology, Ahau Chamahez was one of two
gods of medicine. .
Ahmakiq
In Maya mythology, Ahmakiq is a god of
agriculture. He locks up the wind when it threatens to destroy the crops.
Akhushtal
In Maya mythology, Akhushtal is the goddess of
childbirth. ...
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Archaeologists are opening a cave sealed for more than 30 years deep beneath a Mexican pyramid to look for clues about the mysterious collapse of one of ancient civilisation"s largest cities. The soaring Teotihuacan stone pyramids, now a major tourist site about an hour outside Mexico City, were discovered by the ancient Aztecs around 1500 AD, not long before the arrival of Spanish explorers to Mexico. But little is known about the civilisation that built the immense city, with its ceremonial architecture and geometric temples, and then torched and abandoned it around 700 AD.Archaeologists are now revisiting a cave system that is buried six metres beneath the towering Pyramid of the Sun and extends into a tunnel stretching for some 90 metres with a height of 2.4 metres. 
View: Full Article | Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation 
'Apocalypto' now for Mel, Maya and historians
Portal to mythical Mayan underworld found
Pre-Incan female Wari mummy unearthed in Peru
Stunning Mayan carvings of cosmic monsters
Upright skeleton found in Maya tomb
Research disputes Maya collapse belief
Possible Aztec offerings found in Mexico
Mayans played pyramids to make music
