It must be exciting to be an archaeologist in Mexico. There are obvious archaeological sites that remain to be explored, such as the Tlatelolco canals in Mexico City, the entrance to the underworld in Oaxaca, or the interior of Kukulcán Castle. However, with the construction of the Mayan Train (which was stopped during one of its sections), treasures and caves have been discovered, including a 25-meter pyramid.

The archaeological richness of the country is so great that original wonders can be found in places that have not been considered archaeological sites until now. And that’s what happened in Tecacahuaco.

Thanks to the neighbors. Tecacahuaco is a town located in the state of Hidalgo. It has a population of just over 1,000 people and came to the attention of the National Institute of Anthropology and History in April of this year, thanks to a notice from its neighbors. It turned out that one of them came across an interesting structure while digging to expand his pasture (a term used for land used for grazing and raising animals).

He informed the city council and received the INAH report in a short time. Since then, they have visited the site three times to document that it really has value. And it seems so: the aim now is to complete the recording of the monument’s features and to establish measures for its proper protection.

They also point out the possibility that this basement floor could only be the substructure of a larger structure with a base diameter of up to 15 meters.

TecacahuacoOsvaldo José Sterpone, director of INAH in Hidalgo, explains that what was found was a pyramidal basement with a circular plan built with sand and covered with lime for its preservation. The ‘V’ shape of the walls is intriguing and its height is estimated to have reached three and a half meters.

The date is not yet clear. Structural elements such as obsidian suggest that the structure was built in the Postclassic period (between 99 and 1521 AD). Sterpone points out that if it were from that period, Tecacahuaco would have been a settlement under the control of Metztitlán.

a sports field. Apart from the basement, architectural remains were also found nearby, such as a ball court that would have been approximately 18 meters long and located under the bushes. Discovering this clue will be one of the next steps, as researchers are currently conducting photogrammetry and analysis work at the Monuments and Archaeological and Historical Areas Population Directorate to document the features of the structure.

Of course there are things that cannot be saved, because this investigation led the local people to talk to the oldest people, who told stories such as how a priest ordered some stone idols to be destroyed. This would be the most valuable today.

We must continue researching. Undoubtedly, this is very impressive news for the region, because it has aroused interest and has now become an archaeological site. Therefore, one of the next steps is to establish a dialogue with the Atlapexco city council and the provincial and federal governments for the proper management of the new archaeological site so that INAH can carry out relevant studies.

We’ll see what they surprise us with, but there’s hardly a month where someone doesn’t find traces of the past, whether from the Hispanic or pre-Hispanic period.

Picture | INAH

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