Temples. As well as the spheres, archaeologists also found many other items including pottery and wooden masks covered in crystal, jade and quartz, indicating that the chambers were used by high-ranking people, priests or even rulers to perform rituals. Nevertheless, Mary Ellen Miller and Karl Taube claim that these heads may represent a "war serpent", while Michael D. Coeclaims, somewhat similarly, that they probably represent the "fire serpent" wearing a headdress with the Teotihuacan symbol for war. Teotihuacan, Citadel, Temple of the Feathered Serpent Teotihuacan was an ancient Mesoamerican city located in a sub valley of the Valley of Mexico, located in the State of Mexico near modern-day Mexico City, known today as the site of many of the most architecturally significant Mesoamerican pyramids built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Detail of Temple of Quetzalcóatl, the Citadel, Teotihuacan, Mexico, third century CE. The pantheon of the people of Teotihuacan (200 BC – 700 AD) also featured a feathered serpent, shown most prominently on the Temple of the Feathered Serpent (dated 150–200 AD). [12][13], It was mentioned that the underground passage runs under Feathered Serpent Temple, and the entrance is located a few meters away from the temple at the expected place, designedly sealed with large boulders nearly 2,000 years ago. "The tunnel is in pristine condition, untouched for almost two millennia," said Ng Tze Chuen, an independent researcher who worked on the design of the Tláloc II-TC robot. Teotihuacan’s Lost Kings, a television special, took an hour long look at the great city, its inhabitants, and the excavation of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, (also known as the Feathered Serpent Pyramid.) Archaeologists performing excavations in the Urla-Cesme Peninsula in western Turkey recently found something remarkable. The modern nation of Bulgaria was always at the crossroads of history. In 2003, after heavy rains seeped into the earth, researchers uncovered a tunnel beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent. The richness of the burial goods generally increases toward the center of the pyramid. I cited Wikipedia. It's an unprecedented discovery," said Jorge Zavala, an archaeologist at Mexico's National Anthropology and History Institute. The Ciudadela’s courtyard is massive enough that it could house the entire adult population of Teotihuacán within its walls, which was estimated to be one hundred thousand people at its peak. After days of heavy rainstorm Gómez Chávez noticed that a nearly three-foot-wide sinkhole occurred near the foot of the temple pyramid. At least three degrees of status have been identified, although there is no indication of a dead ruler or other obvious focal point. [14][15], There was an apparent correlation between the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and the calendar. Temple of the Feathered Serpent. By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. [12][13][14][15], First trying to examine the hole with a flashlight from above Gómez could see only darkness, so tied with a line of heavy rope around his waist he was lowered by several colleagues, and descending into the murk he realized it was a perfectly cylindrical shaft. The pyramid was built southeast of the intersection of the avenue of the dead and the east-end avenue. Mesoamerican. Creator: G. Massiot & cie. Subject: Ruins. Among the twelve, there are five female rulers... Teotihuacan’s Lost Kings, a television special, took an hour long look at the great city, its inhabitants, and the excavation of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, (also known as the Feathered Serpent Pyramid.) … [13][14] The walls and ceiling of the tunnel were found to have been carefully impregnated with mineral powder composed of magnetite, pyrite, and hematite, providing a special brightness to the place and to give the effect of standing under the stars as a peculiar re-creation of the underworld. Are the Distinctive Kalash People of Pakistan Really Descendants of Alexander the Great’s Army? Originally the spheres would have shone brilliantly. They have an inner core of clay and are covered in a material called jarosite, which is formed by the oxidation of pyrite, a metallic ore. "They look like yellow spheres, but we do not know their meaning. [12] Before the start of excavations, beginning in the early months of 2004, Dr. Victor Manuel Velasco Herrera determined with the help of ground-penetrating radar and a team of some 20 archaeologists and workers the approximate length of the tunnel and the presence of internal chambers. The organization provided assistance for conservation in cooperation with the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia and with help from American Express. After archaeologists broke ground at the entrance of the tunnel, a staircase and ladders (and later an elevator)[20] were installed to allow easy access to the subterranean site. “The Temple of Kukulkan (the Feathered Serpent God, also known as Quetzalcoatl) is the largest and most important ceremonial structure at Chichen Itza. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent may have been the first use of the architectural profile known as talud-tablero at Teotihuacan. Wikipedia cites 200BCE as the earliest date for construction there with building going on for at least the next 400+ years. [7], Today the pyramid is largely hidden by the Adosada platform hinting at a political restructuring of Teotihuacan during the fourth century CE, perhaps a "rejection of autocratic rule" in favour of a collective leadership. At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. [12][13][18][19], In 2009, the government granted Gómez permission to dig. Both surfaces could be decorated, most often with mural painting. cities in the world. What have these skeletons to do with its construction? Constructed in 200 AD, the six-level step pyramid was built using hundreds of enormous stone blocks that were majestically sculpted, harmoniously integrating the sculpture and the architecture in order to create this unique monument. Is this a 300 million-year-old screw or just a fossilized sea creature? The name Xochicalco may be translated from Nahuatl as "in the house of Flowers". Five Female Olympians of Ancient Greece: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Sumerian King List still puzzles historians after more than a century of research. A feathered serpent deity has been worshiped by many different ethnopolitical groups in Mesoamerican history. They say sensitive visitors may be contacted by the souls of the hundreds of human sacrifices buried beneath the temples. Nearly 1,000 tons of soil and debris were removed from the tunnel. The Rocks, Stained Red with Blood: A Son of Hercules Slew Giants at Salcombe, Devon? What they found was unprecedented – hundreds of gold-coloured metallic spheres scattered in two chambers which lie underneath the pyramid. Well, that was fiction, but at the archaeological site of Chichen Itza in Mexico, you can witness a real astrological phenomenon that Mayan architects purposefully designed when they built El Castillo sometime between 900 and 1,200 years ago. Temple of the Feathered Serpent. Fantastic and rare carvings on the surfaces show depictions of the feathered serpent deity, other gods, and seashells on panels on either side of a staircase. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent is the third largest pyramid[1] at Teotihuacan, a pre-Columbian site in central Mexico (the term Teotihuacan, or Teotihuacano, is also used for the whole civilization and cultural complex associated with the site). The males were accompanied by the remains of weapons and accoutrements, such as necklaces of human teeth, that lead researchers to conclude that they were warriors, probably warriors in service to Teotihuacan rather than captives from opposing armies. Date Created: 1910-01-01. The Nephilim: Giant Offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Man? The team of researchers are hoping that the final chamber may lead to one of the most significant archaeological finds in Teotihuacan – the remains of those who ruled there. April Holloway is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exists countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained. Temple of the Feathered Serpent Located south of the Pyramid of the Sun is the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, also known as “La Ciudadela,” a name Spanish conquistadors gave it. Following the trail of the feathered Serpent Discover The Secrets Of Kukulcan’s Descent. The Great Boat of Khufu: The ‘Black Box’ to the Construction of the Pyramids, Predjama Castle: The Castle in a Cave that Housed a Slovenian Robin Hood, Varna Man and the Wealthiest Grave of the 5th Millennium BC, Choquequirao: The Alternative to Machu Picchu for Those After Adventure Not Just Selfies, Carmelite Skeletons Unearthed in Polish Tunnel of Bones, Shocking Truth Behind Death of Ireland’s Egyptian Mummy Exposed, Pharaoh’s Parade: Mummified Display of Egypt’s Glorious Past, Politics Behind The Jewish-Roman War: Vespasian Versus Izates Manu, Picts, Gaels, and Scots: Exploring their Mysterious (and Sometimes Mythical) Origins. [13][14][16][17], Preliminary planning of the exploration and fundraising took more than six years. Cholula’s Temple pyramid complex was built in four main stages—the earliest of which being in the third century BC—and the entire structure was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god. The existence of such worship can be seen through studies of the iconography of different Mesoamerican cultures, in which serpent motifs are frequent. INAH team, consisted of about 30 persons supported with national and international advisors of the highest scientific level, intended to enter the tunnel in September–October 2010. [13][14][18][19] The significance of these new discoveries is publicly explored in a major exhibition which opened at the end of September 2017 at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. A summary of the possible iconographic interpretation can be found in Spence et al., p. 1. Xochicalco. One of the most important temples was the Temple of the Feathered Serpent. Cultural Context: Late Classic. They scanned the earth under the Ciudadela, returning every afternoon to upload the results to Gómez's computers. This section is believed to date from the late 3rd century. Excavating was done manually, with spades. Back in 1982 and 1989, mass graves were found under and near the same Temple of the Feathered Serpent. It was completed in the early third century CE, probably to honor Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent and Tlaloc, the rain god. John Clark’s excellent paper ‘Trojans at Totnes and Giants on the Hoe: Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historical Fiction and Geographical Reality’. Representations of a feathered snake occur as early as the Teotihuacan civilization (3rd to 8th century CE) on the central plateau. In talud-tablero, a rectangular panel (the tablero) sits atop a sloping panel (the talud). A Monumental Cover Up? Vimanas: Greater Understanding on a Hotly Debated Topic, Uncovering Ancient Pyramid Science at Teotihuacan, Where Men Become Gods. The rich array of objects unearthed included: large spiral seashells, jaguar bones,[20] pottery, fragments of human skin, wooden masks covered with inlaid rock jade and quartz, elaborate necklaces, rings, greenstone crocodile teeth and human figurines, crystals shaped into eyes, beetle wings arranged in a box, sculptures of jaguars, and hundreds of metallized spheres. Two of the figurines were still in their original positions, leaning back and apparently contemplating up at the axis where the three planes of the universe meet – probably the founding shamans of Teotihuacan, guiding pilgrims to the sanctuary, and carrying bundles of sacred objects used to perform rituals, including pendants and pyrite mirrors, which were perceived as portals to other realms. 150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time? In the eyes of the… Meanwhile, he erected a tent over the sinkhole to preserve it from the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit Teotihuacán. These are some of the earliest-known representations of the feathered serpent, often identified with the much-later Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Within the Ciudadela there are several monumental structures, including the temple, two mansions north and south of the temple, and the Adosada platform. [citation needed] In antiquity the entire pyramid was painted – the background here was blue with carved sea shells providing decoration. The “Lords of Time” are believed to be pictured on the rear of the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpents. [11], In late 2003 a tunnel beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent was accidentally discovered by Sergio Gómez Chávez and Julie Gazzola, archaeologists of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). Thus, it is believed that the people of Teotihuacán would move this place marker around the pyramid to represent the ritual calendar. De Young Museum, September 30, 2017 – February 11, 2018", "Experts: Ancient Mexicans crossbred wolf-dogs", "First Images of the Interior of Teotihuacan Tunnel Captured by Camera on Small Robot", "Robot finds mysterious spheres in ancient temple", "Liquid mercury found under Mexican pyramid could lead to king's tomb", "Teotihuacan: An Exceptional Multiethnic City in Pre-Hispanic Central Mexico", "Ritual Sacrifice and the Feathered Serpent Pyramid at Teotihuacán, México", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Temple_of_the_Feathered_Serpent,_Teotihuacan&oldid=994911532, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2008, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 December 2020, at 05:08. [6] Under each row of heads are bas-reliefs of the full feathered serpent, in profile, also associated with water symbols. Heads of feathered serpents alternate with scaly creature. The pyramid takes its name from representations of the Mesoamerican "feathered serpent" deity which covered its sides. [citation needed], The Feathered Serpent Pyramid is a six-level step pyramid built in the talud-tablero style. [13][14][21] Also found were four greenstone statues, wearing garments and beads, and their open eyes would have shone with precious minerals. It would have been nice if you had included a photograph of the actual item being discussed. Researchers reported that the tunnel was believed to have been sealed in 200 CE. Although Pakistan is an Islamic Republic, with more than 95% of its population being adherents of Islam, the Kalash people hold on to their own religious beliefs, along with their own identity, way of life, and language. [20] Pools of liquid mercury in some of the tiny valleys represented lakes. There are three pyramids – the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, the Pyramid of the Sun, and the Pyramid of the Moon. These are some of the earliest-known representations of the feathered serpent, often identified with the much-later Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Here (fig. The burials, like the structure, are dated to some time between 150 and 200 CE. Situated in the south of the pyramid of the sun is the temple of the feathered serpent, renowned as ‘La Ciudadela.’ The name was given by a Spanish Conquistador. Built in the 4th century, the Adosada platform is located just in front (west) of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, obscuring its view. Relief sculptures of feathered serpent bodies and seashells. The sites, dated to the period the temple was constructed, about 150 AD, included 137 people who’d been sacrificed with their hands tied behind their backs. In 2004, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl was listed in the 2004 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund. This ninety-foot tall pyramid was built during the eleventh to thirteenth centuries directly upon the multiple foundations of previous temples. This open area is big enough to put a place holder in. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. This was not the Teotihuacan state; it was a group of the Feathered-Serpent people, thrown out from the city. [10] The burials are grouped in various locations, the significance of which is not yet understood. [4] "Temple of the Feathered Serpent" is the modern-day name for the structure; it is also known as the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. Constructed in 200 AD, the six-level step pyramid was built using hundreds of enormous stone blocks that were majestically sculpted, harmoniously integrating the sculpture and the architecture in order to create this unique monument. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent is the third largest pyramid at Teotihuacan, a pre-Columbian site in central Mexico. The Ciudadela (Spanish, "citadel") is a structure with high walls and a large courtyard surrounding the temple. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent was not only a religious center but also a political center. By the end of 2009 archaeologists of the INAH located the entrance to the tunnel that leads to galleries under the pyramid, where the remains of rulers of the ancient city might have been deposited. [2] The burials, like the structure, are dated to between 150 and 200 CE. The crucial point of this pyramid is a 6-stepped pyramid which is smaller than the other two instances on the Avenue of the Dead. [9], Two hundred or more sacrificial burials were found at the pyramid, believed to be carried out as part of the dedication of the temple. While searching inside a newly discovered burial shaft, they found a 2,... An ancient “cursus monument” was discovered at the Tormore site on the Isle of Arran. They are indeed unique, but I have no idea what they mean. The program revealed evidence of advanced engineering built into a tunnel system, and placed directly underneath the Pyramid. The Ciudadela (Spanish, "citadel") is a structure with high walls and a large courtyard surrounding the temple. Homage to great serpents was also paid in Africa, Egypt, Asia, and even North America. The mysterious spheres, which are gold in colour, range in size from 1.5 to 5 inches. The Temple of the Feathered-Serpent takes its name from the iconic carved heads that adorn the eastern side (figs. Finally, with the use of radars, researchers discovered that symbols cover the walls of the tunnel, measuring 120 meters long. The mysterious globes lay in both the north and south chambers. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent is located at the southern end of the Avenue of the Dead, Teotihuacan's main thoroughfare, within the Ciudadela complex. [19], After each new segment was cleared, the 3D scanner documented the progress. Maya: Science Only Acknowledges Now What Ancient Sages Knew About Reality 5000 Years Ago, Unearthing Ancient Magic in The Runes –Messages with Hidden Symbols and Powerful Numbers, Petroglyphic Features of Portable Rock Art, The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age, Knife-Wielding Spider God Mural Found at Shrine in Peru, 5000-Year-Old Prehistoric Temple Discovered On Scottish Island, Ancient Temple of Aphrodite Unearthed in Modern Turkey, The White Horse Temple: China’s Very First Buddhist Temple, The Great Mountain Citadel of Perperikon and the Dionysian Cult. 2004 World Monuments Watch by the Teotihuacan State ; it was built southeast of the Feathered Serpent '' which... 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