The ancient pyramid appeared in Mexico

Archaeologists said yesterday they discovered a large pyramid of the 6th century Indians under a religious church.

Built on the hillside and belonging to the mysterious Teotihuacan culture, the pyramid was abandoned for nearly 1,000 years until Christians reappeared the " Lord's suffering " ritual there.

" When locals see us dig, they don't believe it's a pyramid, " said archaeologist Jesus Sanchez. " Only when the frame and slope of the pyramid, and the floor with the altars were found, did they believe ".

Earlier, the appearance of pottery and other ritual structures on the hill proved to be a pyramid or temple nearby, but the hypothesis has not been proven until Sanchez's group started a project. mapping project in 2004.

The Iztapalapa re-adopted the ritual of the Lord's suffering in 1833, to give thanks to the protection of the god after a cholera epidemic. During the ceremony, a wooden pyramid was raised several meters high and a man chosen to play the part of Jesus was forced into a cross.

The ancient pyramid, 18 meters high, is carved from a natural hillside around 500 AD. About 300 years later, the building was abandoned when the Teotihuacan culture collapsed.

MT