In Mexico city found a unique tomb “Golden wolf”
During excavations in downtown Mexico city, the former Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, the archaeologists found the tomb of the wolf with the largest and most exquisite collection of gold objects of all ever found in the area.
In April of this year during excavations in the Central square of Mexico city, archaeologists have made an unprecedented discovery. Only now, at the end of the first stage of the research, scientists reported the discovery to the press.
The Zocalo, the main square of the Mexican capital, and its Grand Cathedral was built on the site of the ancient Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, on top of which was destroyed in 1521, the Aztec temples. An unusual find was made at the foot of the stone steps that once led to the top of one of them is Templo Mayor, or “great temple of Tenochtitlan”. Excavations in this lively and densely built quarter was made possible after the demolition of the two buildings.
Archaeologists stumbled on a small stone tomb, the inner volume of which does not exceed 0.3 cubic meters. Inside they found the remains of a sacrificial animal — a young wolf, murdered and buried over 500 years ago. Studies have shown that this eight-month-old male, wolf standards — very teenager who has not yet reached the size of an adult wolf.
After ritual slaughter the animal remains were buried with unusual honors and rich gifts. Scientists say the unprecedented quality and quantity of gold jewelry: on the body of the wolf, the archaeologists found a total of 22 items, among them charms in the form of symbols or covered with symbolic images and a nose-ring and round the breastplate, made of thin sheets of gold, told Reuters the head of the excavation Leonardo lópez (Náuhmitl Leonardo López Luján), the head of the archaeological project Templo Mayor.
In addition to gold jewelry on the body of a wolf was found a belt of shells brought from the coast of the Atlantic ocean. The remains of the animal were folded neatly on top of a layer of stone knives. By the wolf in the tomb lay the remains of other once-living inhabitants of the elements of air, earth and sea, which had symbolic and ritual significance — so the Aztecs had contact with the outside world, the giver of life.
Another important detail — the wolf was buried with face to the West, said Leonard Lopez. In Aztec mythology, the wolf, looking to the West, symbolized Huitzilopochtli, the God of war and the sun, patron of Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs also believed that the God of lightning and death Xolotl and his dog (or wolf) was escorted fallen soldiers during a dangerous journey to another world.