Ground-Penetrating Radar Reveals an Underground Maze Beneath the Zapotec Mitla Ruins
According to Heritage Daily, an archaeological project led by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH) has confirmed a network of a complex underground system and chambers beneath an ancient church at the Mitla ruins, a religious complex of the Zapotec people.
This remarkable system may very well be the underground maze referred to by the ancient Zapotecs as Lyobaa or “the entrance to hell.”
Survey image of the area known as “Church Group” at Mitla shows structures that could potentially be the Zapotec “gate to hell” maze.
The research team employed advanced geophysical methods such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to survey several areas at Mitla, uncovering anomalies in the region of the medieval San Pablo Apostol church.
This discovery aligns with ancient texts, as a priest living in the 17th century in this area described the underground maze Lyobaa of the Zapotec people in a record.
The research team also identified additional anomalies beneath areas designated as Calvario Group, Arroyo Group, and South Group of the archaeological complex.
These may be rooms or tombs yet to be explored.
In a palace located in the area known as Columns Group, they also discovered the remnants of a large staircase, further suggesting potential underground structures.
Field explorations will be needed to confirm these findings; however, the evidence is sufficient to indicate that beneath the famous Mitla ruins of Mexico lies an entire underground world awaiting exploration.
The Mitla Ruins are one of the most renowned archaeological sites in Mexico, located in the Oaxaca Valley of the southern state of Oaxaca. Meanwhile, the Zapotec civilization was one of the pre-Columbian indigenous cultures that thrived in Central America, particularly in the Oaxaca Valley of Mexico. Archaeological evidence suggests that this culture has existed for at least 2,500 years. |
