Mysterious tunnel 2000 years old, people are not allowed to set foot in

In October 2003, after a storm created a hole in the ground, near the Teotihuacan pyramid, central Mexico, archaeologist Sergio Gomez used a rope to get under the hole.

Gomez discovered that a 14 meter deep hole was a tunnel.

"I realized this gap was important. At the time I didn't know how far the discovery could go. People needed to know better what the tunnel was used for, estimate it. built about 2,000 years ago, " said Gomez.

Teotihuacan city ​​dates back to about 400 BC but the golden age of this tunnel was from 100-550 AD.

The discovery of the tunnel gave researchers a better understanding of the history of the city, a place that was demolished and it was centuries before the Aztecs arrived. This tunnel exploration project is called "Tlalocan", meaning "tunnel".

Archaeologist Gomez used a robot in this tunnel expedition. This is the first time robots are allowed to enter places like this, before they were only used in Egypt.

The tunnel has been closed for at least 1,700 years , and the poll began in 2009 with the help of robots. Inside the tunnel is an extremely large space, from where the main gate to the end of the tunnel extends 103 meters, starting at a depth of 14 meters and ending at the deepest point 18 meters.

The walls here are impregnated with pyrite, a metallic mineral that reflects light. With the help of a lamp, archaeologists discovered that this light represented the stars.

According to experts, the ancient Teotihuacan have used the tunnel for about 250 years. Then they closed it, building a wall from the inside out.

Although the reason has not been clearly determined, they have returned a few times and continue to close.

Gomez explained: "We spent almost 8 years in this tunnel. Everything was done very carefully, we removed about a thousand tons of rock and dirt, using only brushes, needles, applicators. dental tools ".

International culture

In the tunnel, more than 100,000 artifacts have been discovered."The important thing is not only the number, but these artifacts help us better understand the worldview and religion of the ancient Mesocerican peoples."

"There is evidence that the Teotihuacan have a very close relationship with the entire Maya region from the early stages. We have recovered the jade pieces, shells and snails here."

For the first time in Teotihuacan, rubber fragments have been recovered, including 14 balls at an extraordinary level of conservation. Rubber is not native to central Mexico, but is brought from places like Veracruz, Chiapas or Tabasco.

New discoveries

At the end of the tunnel, in the rooms, they found 4 sculptures, including 3 women and 1 man. While women have clothing, men are naked.

"It's a way of making us think that in Teotihuacan, women play a much more important role not only in power but also in religion," Gómez said.

This led archaeologists to make an assumption that the first gods were women who were related to fertility and land. On the other hand, men represent war. This is a change from a production economy model to a seizure economy.

The sculptures here are made of jade and pyrite, probably used for magic and fortune telling.

Representative of the underworld

For the Teotihuacan, the universe is divided into three areas: the sky, the earth, and the afterlife. But for the ancient Mesocerican nation, the afterlife is not the place of death but the place of the beginning of everything reborn. There are a number of gods responsible for maintaining the order of the universe.

Gomez explained that, maybe, when the rulers died, their remains were taken to a place that represented the underworld, as a sign that they were surrendering to power.

"Perhaps this tunnel is one of the most important and sacred places for the Teotihuacan," Gomez explained.

The underworld is not just a place of death: it is a place of creation

This tunnel is not open to the public."This is a dangerous place and we will have to take measures to preserve it. It can be damaged by everyone's visits , " Gomez explained.

Studying this tunnel can also help archaeologists better understand another tunnel beneath the Sun Pyramid (the largest pyramid here).