Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of an elite Toltec building, two carved stone tombstones and the burials of six children during an archaeological salvage operation on the outskirts of the ancient city of Tollan Xicocotitlan in Hidalgo, central Mexico.
The discoveries were made by specialists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) during excavations associated with the construction of a water treatment plant in the municipality of Tula de Allende, approximately 100 metres from the boundary of the Tula Archaeological Zone.
The excavation revealed the remains of a monumental building, known as Structure II, measuring around 40 by 80 metres. Archaeologists believe it dates to the 12th century AD, a period after the peak of the Toltec civilisation, when communities continued to settle around the former capital and adopted its architectural and religious traditions to reinforce their own identity.
The structure was decorated with representations of chalchihuites—green stone beads associated with wealth, status and political authority—and yielded two engraved stone reliefs believed to have originally formed part of Pyramid B, the Temple of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, famous for its towering Atlantean warrior statues.
One relief depicts the deity Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the Toltec god of the Morning Star and an aspect of Quetzalcoatl, while the second features a feline motif identical to those found on Pyramid B. According to lead archaeologist Luis Gamboa Cabezas, the finds indicate that communities living beyond Tula’s ceremonial centre appropriated symbols of Toltec power as the city’s influence declined.
The feline relief also resolves a long-standing archaeological question. Earlier excavations at Pyramid B recorded carvings of coyotes and felines decorating only one side of the monument. The newly discovered stone, carved with a feline facing the opposite direction, suggests the decorative procession originally extended around the entire pyramid.
In addition to the architectural remains, archaeologists recovered a diverse collection of artefacts dating between AD 1100 and 1521, including ceramic vessels, plates, shell beads, spindle whorls, seals, bone awls and numerous figurines. Among the most notable finds are fragments depicting a blue-painted canid wearing a ceremonial headdress and part of a vessel decorated with a feathered serpent.
The excavation also uncovered several human burials, including the remains of six children aged between one and six years who appear to have been buried simultaneously beneath the floor of a house as part of a ritual offering. Researchers also recovered a copper awl that corresponds with scraping marks found on a human lower jaw, raising the possibility that it was used in ritual skinning practices.
The area has produced important discoveries before. Archaeological rescue work in 2018 uncovered 23 human skulls displaying intentional cranial shaping and dental modification, practices associated with elite members of pre-Hispanic society, reinforcing the ceremonial significance of the site.
Because the site lies in the floodplain of the Tula River, all artefacts are being carefully conserved and catalogued in INAH’s collections. The carved tombstones will be treated to preserve their original stucco and painted decoration, and the architectural remains will be documented, stabilised and reburied beneath protective geotextile layers.
INAH has also reached an agreement with Hidalgo’s State Water and Sewerage Commission to limit development above the site to low-impact construction and to ensure the buried Toltec remains are protected.
Archaeologists say the discoveries reveal that the protected Tula Archaeological Zone is only a small fraction of the original pre-Hispanic city, underscoring the need for archaeological monitoring in infrastructure projects for the continued protection of Mexico’s cultural heritage.
Header Image Credit : Gerardo Peña, INAH
Sources : INAH
