Geography, History and Human Universal Culture:

[buzzmobile]

Native Americans may have originated from China, says new study on 14,000-year-old human fossils

A new study suggests that Native Americans may have originated from Southern China, based on the discovery and DNA analysis of 14,000-year-old human fossils. The journal “Current Biology” published the study on July 14, which stated that the discovered fossils are thought to belong to an...

www.yahoo.com

Jane Nam
Thu, July 21, 2022 at 8:00 PM·2 min read


A new study suggests that Native Americans may have originated from Southern China, based on the discovery and DNA analysis of 14,000-year-old human fossils.
The journal “Current Biology” published the study on July 14, which stated that the discovered fossils are thought to belong to an extinct maternal branch to which Native Americans are also possibly related.
Researchers compared the genome of the bones to people from around the world and came to the conclusion that they matched those of an individual deeply linked with East Asian ancestry.
Archaeologists had previously found fossils in China’s Yunnan Province three decades ago; however, it was not until 2018 that a team was able to extract DNA from the ancient skull and use genome sequencing to prove that the individual belonged to an extinct species of modern humans whose descendants were now in East Asia, the Indo-China peninsula and the Southeast Asian islands.

The same team proposed that some people from southern East Asia had traveled north along the coastline of present-day eastern China, went through Japan, reached up to Siberia and then crossed the Bering Strait between the continents of Asia and North America.
While a previously discovered infant’s remains from an archaeological site in Alaska in 2013 proved that modern Native Americans came from Asia, the recent findings narrow down from which parts of Asia they may have originated.
Bing Su from the Kunming Institute of Zoology explained, “Such data will not only help us paint a more complete picture of how our ancestors migrate but also contain important information about how humans change their physical appearance by adapting to local environments over time, such as the variations in skin color in response to changes in sunlight exposure.”

 

[Three Berries]

What about the Giants?

 

[buzzmobile]

What about the Giants?

They were taller than most humans of the age, but hardly qualify as giants.

Nephilim...now we're talking giants.

 

[Montuno]

El Hadiz de los Pájaros Verdes, ritual coránico constatado arqueológicamente en Villanueva de la Fuente (Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, España):​

Mil años después "se vuelve a oir el trino de los pajaritos verdes" en el río Villanueva: el equipo arqueológico de Villanueva de la Fuente (Ciudad Real, C-LM), descubre durante la excavación de la necrópolis islámica de "Los Toriles" la evidencia del mandamiento del Corán sobre el "HADIZ DE LOS PÁJAROS VERDES", una vasija entre las tumbas de 4 niños para atraer a los pájaros que deben ascender sus almas puras al Paraíso:

The Hadith of the Green Birds, a Koranic ritual archaeologically verified in Villanueva de la Fuente (Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain):​

A thousand years later "the trill of the little green birds is heard again" in the Villanueva river: the archaeological team of Villanueva de la Fuente (Ciudad Real, C-LM) discovered during the excavation of the Islamic necropolis of "Los Toriles" the evidence of the Koranic commandment of the "HADIZ OF THE GREEN BIRDS", a vessel between the tombs of 4 children to attract the birds that must ascend their pure souls to Paradise:

 

[nono_fr]

Easter Island fire causes ‘irreparable’ damage to famous moai statues​

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ses-irreparable-damage-to-famous-moai-statues

A forest fire that tore through part of Easter Island has charred some of its monumental carved stone figures, known as moai, authorities have said.

The blaze reportedly swept through the Rapa Nui national park, 3,500km (2,175 miles) off the west coast of Chile, causing “irreparable” damage to the archaeological site.


“More than 100 hectares (247 acres) were affected in the Rano Raraku sector which includes the wetland and moai sector,” the national park said in a statement on its official Facebook page on Thursday.

Ariki Tepano, director of the Ma’u Henua community in charge of the management and maintenance of the park, described the damage as “irreparable”.

“The moai are totally charred and you can see the effect of the fire upon them,” he said.

Easter Island mayor, Pedro Edmunds Paoa, said he believed the fire was “not an accident,” telling local broadcaster Radio Pauta that “all the fires on Rapa Nui are caused by human beings.”

“The damage caused by the fire can’t be undone,” Edmunds Paoa added. “The cracking of an original and emblematic stone cannot be recovered, no matter how many millions of euros or dollars are put into it.”

this is bad day !

 

[OntologicalTurn]

• Mexico - Ancient Cultures​

Teotihuacán​

Photo tour | Location

View attachment 18124742

Teotihuacán is one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites. The pyramid city, inhabited between 100 B.C. and 650 A.D., is located in a wide valley in Central Mexico on a height of aprox. 2,300 m, hence almost on the same level as the Mexican capital, which is only 50 km far. Even though Teotihuacán has been explored scientifically since more than a century, 95% of the ruins haven't been excavated yet.
Until its mysterious end in the 7th century, which was accompanied by a devastating fire, Teotihuacán was a powerful political, military, economic and cultural centre that influenced the whole of Mesoamerica. In its heyday, more than 150,000 inhabitants lived thereon an area of 20 square kilometres, so that the city was one of the largest metropolis of the world in that era.
It is still not known, who were the inhabitants of Teotihuacán, and not even its original name is known. When the Aztecs arrived on the Mexican Central Plateau in the first half of the 14th century, coming from the North, and discovered the abandoned ruins of the city, they connected it with their own creation myth, and gave it the name of Teotihuacán – "place where gods were born". Also, the denominations of the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon as well as the "Avenue of the Dead", can be traced back to the Aztecs.

The City​

At the beginning of the 2nd century A.D. an overall concept for the urban planning of Teotihuacán was realised. With its unique chessboard layout the city was the unequivocal manifestation of a centralized rule. The main axis running from north to south, with a deviation to the East of 15.5 degrees, is the "Avenue of the Dead", which begins at the Pyramid of the Moon and leads past the Pyramid of the Sun.
Teotihuacán was laid out along wide avenues and had efficiently functioning drainage and water-supply systems. The pyramids, temples and palaces were coated with stucco and decorated with murals in brilliant colours. There were public buildings, administrative quarters, and various residential areas. Teotihuacán was a cosmopolitan city that accommodated a considerable number of outsiders. People from the Maya, Oaxaca and Gulf Coast areas lived in separate districts of the city. Although they were living far from their homelands, they often retained many elements of the own culture.
The main pyramids are the 63-metre-high Pyramid of the Sun, with a lateral length of 225 metres, and the 48-metre-high Pyramid of the Moon at the northern end of the two kilometre-long Avenue of the Dead. The southern end of the ensemble, of which only a fraction has been excavated and studied, is dominated by what the Spaniards called the "Citadel", containing the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, and the Rain God, Tlaloc, which is decorated with 365 sculptured heads of these divinities.

Main divinities​

The names of the gods that were worshipped in Teotihuacán are not known. There is definite agreement, however, about their iconography. The same deities can be found again with the Aztecs. The gods of Teotihuacán can therefore be equated with the Aztec gods and are called by the same names: Tlaloc was the Storm God, the god of rain and fertility. But he also embodies the destructive power of rain and water in the form of thunderstorms and floods. Quetzalcoatl is the rattlesnake with the feathers of the quetzal bird. The Feathered Serpent was responsible for the fertility of the earth and for life itself. Tlaloc and Quetzalcoatl are among the most important deities in Teotihuacán. Huehueteotl, the Old God, who was responsible for fire and was worshipped primarily in the private sphere. He was the patron saint of house and hearth. Huehueteotl is represented sitting cross-legged, with a wrinkled face and a brazier or coal pan on his head.

System of Rule​

Little is known about the form of government that existed in Teotihuacán. It can be assumed, however, that at the beginning of the 2nd century at the latest – when the overall urban planning was realized in Teotihuacán – the fate of the city lay in the hands of an individual leader. The seat of government was most likely located at different places: in the monumental Xalla building compound located to the north of the Pyramid of the Sun and in the living quarters of the Citadel flanking the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent. In the 4th century a radical change must have come about: the huge sculpted serpent’s heads of the Quetzalcoatl Pyramid were smashed and a large platform was erected on one side. After this act of destruction the subsequent rulers built their seat of government right above the "Avenue of the Dead".
Even today we still do not know any of the names of the Teotihuacán rulers, and we do not possess any inscriptions that would give testimony to their achievements. This contrasts sharply with the concomitant Maya civilization, the dynastic history of which is well-known: they erected steles with inscriptions that glorified their rule and recorded the important events of their lives on them.

Trade, War, Sphere of Influence​

The enormous wealth of Teotihuacán was based largely on the monopoly they had on the trade of obsidian, a coarse green glass occurring in volcanic rock. The most important deposit of obsidian in Mesoamerica is found near the city. Ceramics were also highly prized export goods, particularly the splendidly decorated, cylindrical tripod vessels. With the help of its extensive trading network and monopoly on long-distance trade, its political contacts, but also its military invasions, Teotihuacán was able to extend its sphere of influence beyond the Altiplano, the central highland, and deep into areas throughout Mesoamerica.
Teotihuacán’s influence is mirrored above all, however, in the art and architecture of Mesoamerica. The talud-tablero method of façade construction that had been developed in Teotihuacán – the alternating sequence of steeply sloping and frame-like projecting vertical walls – placed its mark on architecture in many places throughout Mexico. Of course it is not easy to determine where Teotihuacán people themselves settled or where their cultural singularities were merely imitated. In any case, archaeological indices support the theory that the Teotihuacanos asserted their influence in the Maya territories: in Kaminaljuyu they took power in the 4th century and in Tikal they even founded their own dynasty. There are also clear signs that they intervened in politics in other Maya areas as well. These expansionist tendencies were part of a larger phenomenon that was not limited to the Maya territory, but can also be found in Monte Albán, the capital city of the powerful Zapotec civilization. The Teotihuacanos carried on intensive relations with the Zapotecs, and there is even a possibility that they ruled over Monte Albán for a certain length of time.

The Downfall of Teotihuacán​

The city of Teotihuacán was the most complex and populated urban centre in the period between the 3rd and the 6th centuries – a cultural and economic "superpower". The dominant cultural position of Teotihuacanin Mesoamerica came to an end in the 7th century. Large areas of the metropolis were ravaged by fire. The reasons are still unclear; its destruction possibly came about as a result of an invasion or an internal rebellion. After this trauma part of the city remained inhabited for around a century. The city was then finally abandoned.

https://universes.art/en/art-destinations/mexico/tour/teotihuacan

View attachment 18124742 View attachment 18124746 View attachment 18124747 View attachment 18124748 View attachment 18124749 View attachment 18124751

• Mexico - Ancient Cultures​

Teotihuacán​

Photo tour | Location

View attachment 18124742

Teotihuacán is one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites. The pyramid city, inhabited between 100 B.C. and 650 A.D., is located in a wide valley in Central Mexico on a height of aprox. 2,300 m, hence almost on the same level as the Mexican capital, which is only 50 km far. Even though Teotihuacán has been explored scientifically since more than a century, 95% of the ruins haven't been excavated yet.
Until its mysterious end in the 7th century, which was accompanied by a devastating fire, Teotihuacán was a powerful political, military, economic and cultural centre that influenced the whole of Mesoamerica. In its heyday, more than 150,000 inhabitants lived thereon an area of 20 square kilometres, so that the city was one of the largest metropolis of the world in that era.
It is still not known, who were the inhabitants of Teotihuacán, and not even its original name is known. When the Aztecs arrived on the Mexican Central Plateau in the first half of the 14th century, coming from the North, and discovered the abandoned ruins of the city, they connected it with their own creation myth, and gave it the name of Teotihuacán – "place where gods were born". Also, the denominations of the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon as well as the "Avenue of the Dead", can be traced back to the Aztecs.

The City​

At the beginning of the 2nd century A.D. an overall concept for the urban planning of Teotihuacán was realised. With its unique chessboard layout the city was the unequivocal manifestation of a centralized rule. The main axis running from north to south, with a deviation to the East of 15.5 degrees, is the "Avenue of the Dead", which begins at the Pyramid of the Moon and leads past the Pyramid of the Sun.
Teotihuacán was laid out along wide avenues and had efficiently functioning drainage and water-supply systems. The pyramids, temples and palaces were coated with stucco and decorated with murals in brilliant colours. There were public buildings, administrative quarters, and various residential areas. Teotihuacán was a cosmopolitan city that accommodated a considerable number of outsiders. People from the Maya, Oaxaca and Gulf Coast areas lived in separate districts of the city. Although they were living far from their homelands, they often retained many elements of the own culture.
The main pyramids are the 63-metre-high Pyramid of the Sun, with a lateral length of 225 metres, and the 48-metre-high Pyramid of the Moon at the northern end of the two kilometre-long Avenue of the Dead. The southern end of the ensemble, of which only a fraction has been excavated and studied, is dominated by what the Spaniards called the "Citadel", containing the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, and the Rain God, Tlaloc, which is decorated with 365 sculptured heads of these divinities.

Main divinities​

The names of the gods that were worshipped in Teotihuacán are not known. There is definite agreement, however, about their iconography. The same deities can be found again with the Aztecs. The gods of Teotihuacán can therefore be equated with the Aztec gods and are called by the same names: Tlaloc was the Storm God, the god of rain and fertility. But he also embodies the destructive power of rain and water in the form of thunderstorms and floods. Quetzalcoatl is the rattlesnake with the feathers of the quetzal bird. The Feathered Serpent was responsible for the fertility of the earth and for life itself. Tlaloc and Quetzalcoatl are among the most important deities in Teotihuacán. Huehueteotl, the Old God, who was responsible for fire and was worshipped primarily in the private sphere. He was the patron saint of house and hearth. Huehueteotl is represented sitting cross-legged, with a wrinkled face and a brazier or coal pan on his head.

System of Rule​

Little is known about the form of government that existed in Teotihuacán. It can be assumed, however, that at the beginning of the 2nd century at the latest – when the overall urban planning was realized in Teotihuacán – the fate of the city lay in the hands of an individual leader. The seat of government was most likely located at different places: in the monumental Xalla building compound located to the north of the Pyramid of the Sun and in the living quarters of the Citadel flanking the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent. In the 4th century a radical change must have come about: the huge sculpted serpent’s heads of the Quetzalcoatl Pyramid were smashed and a large platform was erected on one side. After this act of destruction the subsequent rulers built their seat of government right above the "Avenue of the Dead".
Even today we still do not know any of the names of the Teotihuacán rulers, and we do not possess any inscriptions that would give testimony to their achievements. This contrasts sharply with the concomitant Maya civilization, the dynastic history of which is well-known: they erected steles with inscriptions that glorified their rule and recorded the important events of their lives on them.

Trade, War, Sphere of Influence​

The enormous wealth of Teotihuacán was based largely on the monopoly they had on the trade of obsidian, a coarse green glass occurring in volcanic rock. The most important deposit of obsidian in Mesoamerica is found near the city. Ceramics were also highly prized export goods, particularly the splendidly decorated, cylindrical tripod vessels. With the help of its extensive trading network and monopoly on long-distance trade, its political contacts, but also its military invasions, Teotihuacán was able to extend its sphere of influence beyond the Altiplano, the central highland, and deep into areas throughout Mesoamerica.
Teotihuacán’s influence is mirrored above all, however, in the art and architecture of Mesoamerica. The talud-tablero method of façade construction that had been developed in Teotihuacán – the alternating sequence of steeply sloping and frame-like projecting vertical walls – placed its mark on architecture in many places throughout Mexico. Of course it is not easy to determine where Teotihuacán people themselves settled or where their cultural singularities were merely imitated. In any case, archaeological indices support the theory that the Teotihuacanos asserted their influence in the Maya territories: in Kaminaljuyu they took power in the 4th century and in Tikal they even founded their own dynasty. There are also clear signs that they intervened in politics in other Maya areas as well. These expansionist tendencies were part of a larger phenomenon that was not limited to the Maya territory, but can also be found in Monte Albán, the capital city of the powerful Zapotec civilization. The Teotihuacanos carried on intensive relations with the Zapotecs, and there is even a possibility that they ruled over Monte Albán for a certain length of time.

The Downfall of Teotihuacán​

The city of Teotihuacán was the most complex and populated urban centre in the period between the 3rd and the 6th centuries – a cultural and economic "superpower". The dominant cultural position of Teotihuacanin Mesoamerica came to an end in the 7th century. Large areas of the metropolis were ravaged by fire. The reasons are still unclear; its destruction possibly came about as a result of an invasion or an internal rebellion. After this trauma part of the city remained inhabited for around a century. The city was then finally abandoned.

https://universes.art/en/art-destinations/mexico/tour/teotihuacan

View attachment 18124742 View attachment 18124746 View attachment 18124747 View attachment 18124748 View attachment 18124749 View attachment 18124751

Hola Montuno, acá un mexicano que estudio antropología pero desempleado jaja.

De hecho recientes teorías basadas en evidencia arqueológica, indican que Teotihuacan al menos en su periodo tardío no era un centro urbano de una cultura especifica como tal, si no un lugar de peregrinación en donde convergían muchas culturas diferentes de Toda Mesoamérica. Hay evidencia de entierros relacionados con la cultura olmeca de Veracruz, así como de culturas de Oaxaca y del centro de México.

Se piensa que tuvo su Origen en la cultura Cuicuilco que data del 1000a. C. a 150 d. C. (Las ruinas de la pirámide de Cuicuilco están a un costado de mi universidad, tiene la particularidad de ser pirámide circular, y las ruinas se extienden por muchos barrios del sur de la ciudad de México y que fue destruida por la erupción del volcán Xitle

No hay forma de conocer la etnicidad de los constructores de Cuicuilco o Teotihuacán, dado que la zona central de México fue habitada por diferentes pueblos, y no se puede saber que idioma hablaban los esqueletos, sin embargo se podido probar la continuidad Cuicuilco- Teotihuacan debido a un estilo de alfarería cerámica que inicio en Cuicuilco y continuo después en Teotihuacan, lo que indica que los sobrevivientes de la erupción migraron a Teotihuacan


Hello Montuno, here is a Mexican who studied anthropology but unemployed haha.



In fact, recent theories based on archaeological evidence indicate that Teotihuacan, at least in its late period, was not an urban center of a specific culture as such, but rather a place of pilgrimage where many different cultures from all over Mesoamerica converged. There is evidence of burials related to the Olmec culture of Veracruz, as well as cultures of Oaxaca and central Mexico.



It is thought that it had its Origin in the Cuicuilco culture dating from 1000a. C. to 150 d. C. (The ruins of the Cuicuilco pyramid are on one side of my university, it has the particularity of being a circular pyramid, and the ruins extend through many neighborhoods in the south of Mexico City and it was destroyed by the eruption of the volcano Xitle



There is no way to know the ethnicity of the builders of Cuicuilco or Teotihuacán, since the central zone of Mexico was inhabited by different peoples, and it is not possible to know what language the skeletons spoke, however it was possible to prove the Cuicuilco-Teotihuacan continuity due to to a style of ceramic pottery that began in Cuicuilco and continued later in Teotihuacan, indicating that the survivors of the eruption migrated to Teotihuacan

 

[OntologicalTurn]

Aha.
But with Teotihuacan we moved a millennium into the future with respect to the pre-Maya before 900 BC, I think (?).
Florida is very far from Teotihuacan, and I don't know anything about possible influences. But if there are numerous studies and evidence of influence/contact with the American Southwest, with the Mogollon, Hohokam, Sinagua, Fremont (remember the excellent posts on the Fremont archaeological remains left behind in this thread) and Anasazi cultures/peoples; which will reach as far back as descendants as the Hopi-Zuñi-Pueblo peoples:

View attachment 18124229 View attachment 18124230

Annals of the Institute of Aesthetic Research​

printed version ISSN 0185-1276​

An. Research Inst. Estét vol.33 no.98 Mexico City nov. 2011:​

Articles
​

From Teotihuacan to Chaco Canyon: New Perspective on Relations Between Mesoamerica and the Southwestern United States:​

​

Patricia Carot and Marie-Areti Hers​

Institute of Aesthetic Research, UNAM

* Article received on November 3, 2010;
accepted as of May 27, 2011.

Abstract

Studies of relations between the southwestern United States and Mesoamerica tend to pay little attention to the groups that populated northern Mesoamerica and played a direct part in those relations. Recent work in the Sierra Madre Occidental and Michoacán allows us to elucidate some of the processes involved in the history of what might be called the ancient Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. In particular, they lead us to recognize the importance of Teotihuacan in the history of the north, not as a metropolis in expansion, as had previously been proposed, but in the framework of the diaspora of its population resulting from its violent destruction. These advances facilitate a fruitful dialogue with the present efforts of Hopi scholars to confront the contributions of archeology with their own oral tradition telling of the migration of several of their clans from a place of origin called Palatkwapi, which might be identical with Teotihuacan.
MORE:

De Teotihuacan al cañón de Chaco: nueva perspectiva sobre las relaciones entre Mesoamérica y el suroeste de los Estados Unidos

​

Of course, more is known about Teotihucan relations with somewhat more southerly peoples such as the Tarascos-Purépechas-Chichimecas (for the Spanish, One of the most formidable enemy encountered on the North American subcontinent, far above the Mexica or Comanche). And even more with the Maya: Teotihucan conquered part of the Maya world, imposing its rulers/kings, and creating a Teotihuacan-Maya fusion that is often confused with Maya.

Ahhh, Teotihuacan...Gypsy should give you a packet of seeds just for bringing up the subject...The capital was once one of the largest supermetropolis on Earth (yes, including the Mediterranean, Near East and China). And it is still the most "brutal" city and archeological complex in America....
I invite you to research and publish something about it. North Americans who don't know it and think that the Mexica and Maya are the "Mesoamerican cultural summit", will be surprised to see something much more powerful, and much older.

Salud!

En realidad Teotihuacán esta al sur de Michoacan de donde son (aun) los purépechas. Y los Purépechas no son los mismos que los chichimecas (este termino era ocupado or los Mexicas de manera similar que los romanos usaban el termino bárbaro), los chichimecas a los que te refieres y que protagonizaron la resistencia mas larga a los españoles, habitaban en la Region que Comprende Zacatecas, Norte de San Luis Potosí, Nayarit, de al menos a uno de esos grupos descritos por los españoles, los Guachichiles descienden los actuales huicholes o Wirrarikas, así que hay que asumir, que sus primos, los Coras, Y los raramuri o Tarahumaras que habitan en chihuahua (estos últimos científicamente considerados el grupo humano con mayor resistencia para correr, siendo algunos de sus miembros maratonistas multi premiados a pesar de correr con huaraches (sandalias artesanales). Otra particularidad de estos grupos es que comparten el uso sagrado ancestral del cactus de peyote o hikuri, y son ellos los que después dieron acceso a su uso, a los grupos nativos americanos de USA que luego conformaron la native american church, que utiliza el cactus como una forma de resistencia cultural

Actually Teotihuacán is to the south of Michoacan where the Purépechas are (still) from. And the Purépechas are not the same as the Chichimecas (this term was used by the Mexicas in a similar way that the Romans used the term barbarian), the Chichimecas to which you refer and who staged the longest resistance to the Spanish, lived in the Region that includes Zacatecas, North of San Luis Potosí, Nayarit, from at least one of those groups described by the Spanish, the Guachichiles descend from the current Huichols or Wirrarikas, so it must be assumed that their cousins, the Coras, and the Raramuri or Tarahumaras who live in Chihuahua (the latter are scientifically considered the human group with the greatest endurance for running, some of their members being multi-award-winning marathon runners despite running with huaraches (handmade sandals). Another peculiarity of these groups is that they share the ancestral sacred use of the peyote or hikuri cactus, and it is they who later gave access to its use, to the Native American groups of the USA that later confided they formed the native american church, which uses the cactus as a form of cultural resistance

 

[OntologicalTurn]

And speaking of the Maya . . . probably Veracruz culture

View attachment 18123947

thats a carita from El Zapotal Veracruz

 

[tobedetermined]

thats a carita from El Zapotal Veracruz

A carita? Is it funerary? Welcome to the thread btw.

I think Montuno went sideways and is no longer posting here.

 

[Eltitoguay]

Themes / Archeology
ARCHEOLOGY

They find for the first time reliefs with a face of the culture of tartessos:​

At the Casas del Turuñuelo site (Badajoz) reliefs representing figures with faces belonging to the Tartessos culture, which flourished in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula between the 8th and 5th centuries BC, have been discovered for the first time:​

(Faces of two of the figures found in Casas del Turuñuelo).

(Abel G.M.
Journalist specialized in history and paleontology
updated to April 19, 2023 10:40 AM)

A surprising and unexpected discovery has emerged during the excavations at the Casas del Turuñuelo site (Badajoz): the first five representations of figures with faces , belonging to a relief, found from the Tartessos culture, which flourished in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula between the 8th and 5th centuries BC.

It is a very important discovery since until now other figures belonging to this culture had been found, but never with a defined face; Two of them are also represented with hoop-shaped earrings, which makes them a unique representation within the framework of this culture.

(to know more):

THE MYSTERIOUS CIVILIZATION OF TARTESSOS​

EXCAVATIONS​

The five figures have been discovered during the fifth excavation campaign carried out by the Institute of Archeology of Mérida (IAM) and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), whose main objective is the search for the main façade of the monumental complex of the Deposit. Archaeologists believe that this was the main building of the town and that it could have been a sanctuary or a palace. The discovery of these images has been, in fact, a fortuitous but very grateful finding.

The remains of an animal hecatomb have previously been found at this site , with the skeletons of at least 60 animals including cows, horses, pigs and a dog. The so-called “banquet room” was also found, where luxury ceramics and kitchen utensils such as a bronze cauldron and iron knives were recovered. In light of these discoveries, it is believed that ritual banquets were held here.

(Remains of the hecatomb)

THE DISCOVERY​

Among the objects found on this occasion, the most important are two almost complete bust reliefs that represent female figures with earrings in their ears, carved with some soft stone. Esther Rodríguez, co-director of the works, justifies their importance because " for the first time we see how they wore their jewelry and that allows us to interpret which characters carried this type of object."

There are two hypotheses: that they are prominent women in society or divinities of the Tartessian pantheon . If it were the latter case, it would mean a profound change in the interpretation of the culture of Tartessos, since until now no similar figures had been found and it was considered that the divinities were represented through natural motifs or sacred stones.

The other three figures are incomplete, but at least one of them has been identified as a warrior since part of the helmet is preserved. According to the team that found them, the five figures were part of a single relief and it is likely that together they represented a scene. Sebastián Celestino Pérez, also co-director of the project, points out that said scene could represent a warrior and his protective divinities.

 

[Eltitoguay]

Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, the archaeologist who founded the Museo del Templo Mayor​

MAY 18, 2022

The Mexican archaeologist who founded the Templo Mayor Museum won the 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences​

Have you ever gone or passed through the Templo Mayor Museum when you go to the Zócalo in CDMX? This work was founded by the archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma , who won the 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences .
The archaeologist is the third Mexican to have won this international prize in the Social Sciences category. Before it was the historian Silvio Zavala in 1993 and El Colegio de México in 2001.
But, what did Matos do in the Templo Mayor? What is its relevance? Keep reading so we can tell you.

UNAM

They were working on the electricity wiring and found Coyolxauhqui​

On February 21, 1978, workers from the extinct Luz y Fuerza Company carried out repairs on the electricity wiring two meters below the depth of Guatemala and Argentina streets , in the Historic Center.
Suddenly they came across a stone: a monolith of the goddess Coyolxauhqui (about eight tons and 3.25 meters in diameter), says Matos Moctezuma in his book "Proyecto Templo Mayor. graphic memory”.
Guatemala Street was closed and the Archaeological Salvage team of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) began to excavate.
The buildings that were on the site were removed and little by little they began to rescue the ruins and more than 100 offerings of pre-Hispanic origin .

(Coyolxauhqui) is one of the great sculptural manifestations of Mexica art that survived the hecatomb of the Spanish invasion”
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma

INAH

Eduardo Matos Moctezuma founds the Templo Mayor Museum​

The INAH archaeologist founded the museum on October 12, 1987 to exhibit all the pre-Hispanic discoveries in the Historic Center.
The Templo Mayor Project explored the main building of the Mexica and other sculptures from the ceremonial center of Tenochtitlan.
However, the archaeologist assures that he was not the first to find this work , but Manuel Gamio in May 1914; In addition, the excavation and investigation was done by a team of specialists.

Don Manuel Gamio excavated and found the first corner of the Templo Mayor. I emphasize them because they always say: 'Matos found it!' No, no, it wasn't me, it was a whole team of researchers."
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma

During the direction of Matos, three excavations were carried out in the enclosure.

INAH

What can be seen in the Templo Mayor Museum?​

The museum shows the worship of the Mexicas to two divinities : in the north to Tlaloc, god of rain and related to agriculture. In the north, Huitzilopochtli, solar god of war and patron of that culture.
The place has eight rooms, in the four of Huitzilopochtli there are products obtained by the Mexicas through territorial conquests; in the four of Tláloc , on agriculture and exploitation of natural resources.
Matos said that the Temple defines an "axis of life and an axis of death."

INAH

Who is Eduardo Matos Moctezuma and why is his award important?​

Matos Moctezuma is the most famous archaeologist in Mexico .
He was born in Mexico City on December 11, 1940. He studied Archeology at the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) and is a teacher and PhD in Anthropological Sciences from UNAM.
In addition to being a professor and director of schools, he has carried out various investigations in archaeological sites:

• Bonampak
• Cholula
• comalcalco
• tlatelolco
• Tenochtitlán (he excavated the Pyramid of the Sun and founded the Museum of Teotihuacan Culture and the Center for Teotihuacan Studies)
• Teotihuacan
• Tepeapulco
• Tula (in the 70s he directed a pre-Hispanic, colonial and modern investigation)

The 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences joins the dozens that he has received in his professional career.
This award is given to:

The scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out by people, institutions, groups of people or institutions in the international arena”.
Princess of Asturias Foundation

INAH

Where is the Templo Mayor Museum?​

• It is located in Seminario 8, in the Historic Center. . Next to the Cathedral of the Zócalo of CDMX .
• It is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Cost 80 pesos; Admission is free for children under 13, students, teachers, the elderly, pensioners and retirees.