When the nation restored its self-reliance, the heart of the capital was largely inhabited, which made complex any excavation strategies. But then Coyolxauhqui appeared.
In 1978, near Mexico City’s cathedral where lots of believed the ruins of Templo Mayor were buried, an electrical employee struck something with his shovel. It was Coyolxauhqui, thoroughly depicted in stone as the dismembered lunar goddess who lost a fight versus her bro, the Sun.
The discovery was a turning point.
“We thought that we were no longer going to find anything about the Mexicas,” Ledesma said. “And then, there she was, signaling us where Templo Mayor might be”.
Coyolxauhqui’s area was vital. Since the circular stone where she was sculpted in 1469 was discovered near a flight of stairs, it quickly ended up being clear that she had actually laid concealed for centuries at the base of Templo Mayor, devoted to Huitzilopochtli, the solar god.
These tips triggered nationwide and global interest, which led the National Institute of Anthropology and History to greenlight a historical job that is still continuous.
“The temple reproduces the myth of the birth of the solar god,” Ledesma said. “It represents that a world of night and darkness is defeated at the feet of the house of the triumphant Sun.”
The misconception goes as follows: Coatlicue, mom of the gods, sweeps outside her temple when a ball of plumes falls from the sky. She holds it in her bosom and conceives.
Soon after, Coyolxauhqui — her child and goddess of the Moon — learns. She ends up being furious and encourages her 400 siblings — the stars — to team up on a strategy to eliminate their mom.
When they attempt to assassinate Coatlicue on top of a hill, she brings to life Huitzilopochtli (prounced wee-tsee-loh-poch-tlee), the solar and war divine being, who is born totally dressed and prepared for fight.
After facing his sis in fight, Huitzilopochtli accomplishments. He beheads Coyolxauhqui and tosses her remains to the base of the hill, where she lays dismembered. This is why the Mexicas put her stone near the stairs they constructed to tribute Huitzilopochtli, their customer and most cherished god.
“This myth isn’t about her murder,” Ledesma said. “The message is that we are children of the Sun.”
According to her, the cherished monolith where the damaged body of Coyolxauhqui stays unblemished by time made it through the fury of Cortés due to the fact that it ran out sight. There were lots of Coyolxauhqui sculptures, Ledesma said.
When the Mexicas won a crucial fight, they remodelled their temple and its sculptures. The old ones were most likely kept under the brand-new ones, which stayed noticeable and were destroyed by the Spaniards.
To date, archaeologists have actually found 5 Coyolxauhquis. The best-preserved sculpture is the one that the electrical employee discovered 45 years back.
Since she was discovered, Coyolxauhqui has actually overwhelmed Mexican hearts. After the excavation job in Templo Mayor was released, the chief archaeologist, Eduardo Matos, opened the excavation to the general public as soon as a week and individuals lined up to visit their forefathers’ lunar goddess.
“People came and presented her with flowers, with gifts” Ledesma said. “It was like a rediscovery of a society that we had thought lost to the war.”
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Associated Press faith protection gets assistance through the AP’s cooperation with The Conversation United States, with financing from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is exclusively accountable for this material.
María Teresa Hernández, The Associated Press
