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Liquid mercury found beneath Teotihuacan temple


May 01, 2015

Each time the ruins of Teotihuacan divulge a secret, a new mystery seems to arise.

Liquid mercury has been found in an excavated tunnel beneath the ancient Mesoamerican city’s Feathered Serpent Pyramid, but why it is there is up for speculation.

Arizona State University archaeologist George Cowgill – one of the top minds on Teotihuacan – was asked to comment on the find in the Huffington Post.

“A few examples have been found in the Maya area, but it is very rare in ancient Mesoamerica,” he said.

The substance is thought to have ritualistic meaning and may represent a river to the underworld.

While excavations of the tunnel have produced many finds, from jewelry to carved figures, archaeologists continue to hope for the discovery of a royal tomb.

Cowgill says the latest find might boost the odds of locating such a chamber. “Right now, it leaves us in a lot of suspense, and we await further developments eagerly,” he noted.

A research professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Cowgill brought the Teotihuacan Research Laboratory into the ASU fold when he came to the university in the early 1990s.

Article source: Huffington Post

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