The Mercury Under Teotihuacan
At the end of a sealed tunnel beneath a great Mexican pyramid, archaeologists found pools of liquid mercury.
What was reported
In 2003, heavy rain opened a hole at the foot of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuacan, the ancient city near Mexico City. It led to a tunnel, sealed nearly 1,800 years ago, running deep beneath the pyramid.
Archaeologist Sergio Gómez spent years excavating it, using robots to explore. In 2015, his team announced that they had found large amounts of liquid mercury in chambers at the end of the tunnel, along with thousands of offerings, including jade, shells and carvings.
Explanations offered
Mercury does not occur naturally in pools like this, so it was put there deliberately, probably extracted from cinnabar ore by heating. Archaeologists think it may have represented an underworld river or lake. Whether a royal tomb lies nearby is still unknown.
- When
- Found in 2015
- Where
- Temple of the Feathered Serpent, Teotihuacan, Mexico
- Witnesses
- Archaeologists
- Status
- Partly explained
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