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Mexico archaeologists may have found 1st Pyramid of Sun offering

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REPORTING FROM MEXICO CITY -- After digging and exploring for the last three years, archaeologists in Mexico say they have found a ceremonial offering that may have been used nearly 2,000 years ago to consecrate the Pyramid of the Sun before its construction (link in Spanish).

The announcement came in a bulletin from Mexico’s National Anthropology and History Institute (INAH), which said the offering consisted of pieces of obsidian, animal remains and three human figures made of a green stone that looks sort of like jade. One of those is a remarkable mask delicately carved from a single piece and resembling a human face (link in Spanish).

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The Pyramid of the Sun is the tallest of the group of pyramids that make up the massive, ancient city of Teotihuacan, north of Mexico City.

In the INAH statement, Enrique Perez Cortes, one of the archaeologists involved in the project, said that judging by the depth at which the offering was located, ‘we know that it was deposited as part of a consecration ceremony for the construction of the Pyramid of the Sun, probably at the beginning, more than 1,900 years ago.’

The Associated Press quoted a couple of archaeologists not involved in the excavations who stressed the importance of the find.

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Top photo: Mexicans and tourists welcome the spring equinox earlier this year at the Pyramid of the Sun in the ancient city of Teotihuacan, north of Mexico City. Credit: Claudia Daut / Reuters.

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