Archaeologists Discover Ancient Pyramid Beneath Church
Archaeologists announced yesterday the discovery of a large pyramid built by indigenous people from the 6th century, hidden beneath a religious church.
Situated on a hillside and associated with the mysterious Teotihuacan culture, the pyramid had remained abandoned for nearly 1,000 years until Christian worshippers revived the ritual termed “The Passion of Christ” at the site.
“When local people saw us excavating, they couldn’t believe it was a pyramid,” said archaeologist Jesus Sanchez. “It was only when we revealed the framework and the slope of the pyramid, along with the flooring that contained altars, that they began to believe.”
Prior to this discovery, the presence of pottery shards and other ceremonial structures on the hillside suggested there might be a pyramid or temple nearby. However, this hypothesis remained unproven until Sanchez’s team initiated a mapping project in the area in 2004.
The Iztapalapa community revived the ritual of The Passion of Christ in 1833 to express gratitude for divine protection following a cholera epidemic. During the ceremony, a wooden pyramid is raised several meters high, and a man is selected to portray Jesus, who is then bound to a cross.
This ancient pyramid, standing at 18 meters tall, was carved out of a natural hillside around 500 AD. Approximately 300 years later, the structure was abandoned as the Teotihuacan civilization declined.
M.T.
