8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Rare Ceremonial Knives Offering Discovered in the Great Basement of Tlatelolco, Mexico

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)  have unearthed a very special votive offering during excavations at Temple “I,” also known as the Great Basement, within the Tlatelolco archaeological zone in present-day Mexico City.

The offering, which was found inside a stone box or cist, contains copal blocks and a sizable assortment of different types of obsidian knives.

The finding provides invaluable insights into the ceremonial practices of the Tlatelolca people between 1375 and 1418 AD. This amazing discovery comes just in time for the 80th anniversary of discoveries at the Tlatelolco Archaeological Zone, which is situated right in the heart of modern-day Mexico City.

The Mexica city of Tlatelolco was founded in 1338 when a group broke away from Tenochtitlan and settled on an island to the north. This zone, once a pre-Columbian altepetl or city-state, was inhabited by the Tlatelolca people, who were Mexica Nahuatl-speaking and settled in the region during the 13th century. It remained independent until 1473 when it became dependent on Tenochtitlán after conflicts.

Photo: Mauricio Marat/INAH

Archaeologists Francisco Javier Laue Padilla and Paola Silva Álvarez discovered the offering while investigating a crack near the central altar of the Great Basement.

The find consists of a stone box containing ceremonial offerings placed between CE 1375 and 1418 to consecrate an architectural expansion of Temple “I”, also known as the Great Basement. Archaeologists discovered 59 pocket knives, 7 obsidian knives, and copal blocks inside the stone box. These objects were used by Tlatelolca priests and high-ranking officials for self-sacrifice.

In the INAH announcement, Salvador Guilliem Arroyo, the project director, emphasized the significance of the Great Basement, believed to be analogous to the House of the Tenochca Eagles of Tenochtitlan, and dedicated to Tezcatlipoca, the “lord of the smoking obsidian mirror”, a major, if not the primary Aztec god.

The site of the votive offering of obsidian knives at Tlatelolco. Photo: Mauricio Marat/INAH
The site of the votive offering of obsidian knives at Tlatelolco. Photo: Mauricio Marat/INAH

Every component in the offering box has great symbolic significance and may be connected to gods like Tezcatlipoca. The thorough examination of these artifacts will deepen our comprehension of the Tlatelolca people’s ceremonial customs and the immensely rich and varied Mesoamerican pantheon.

This important discovery is part of the conservation efforts of the Tlatelolco Project’s conservation efforts, which were started in 1987 by archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma. Using archeological remnants, the project seeks to compare Tlatelolco with Tenochtitlan, its sister city.

INAH

Cover Photo: Mauricio Marat/INAH

Related Articles

Czech scientists make “Celtic beer” using analysis of pollen from burial site

22 September 2023

22 September 2023

Czech scientists, together with a small experimental brewer, have recreated the country’s first ‘Celtic Beer’ using laboratory analysis of pollen...

A First! This Study on Pregnancy in the Viking Age Illuminates Warrior Women and the Fate of Babies

14 May 2025

14 May 2025

A groundbreaking interdisciplinary study by Viking experts from the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester has shed new light on the...

Unexpected Results Of Ancient DNA Study: Analysis sheds light on the early peopling of South America

3 November 2022

3 November 2022

Around 60,000 years ago, modern humans left Africa and quickly spread across six continents. Researchers can trace this epic migration...

Restored walls collapse in 1500-year-old Shahr-e Belqeys, concerns mount over further damage

12 May 2024

12 May 2024

Recently, a portion of the restored walls of 1500-year-old Shahr-e Belqeys (“City of Belqeys”), a historical city made of mudbricks...

Most important Discovery in New Zealand Archaeology: Ocean Waka

5 March 2025

5 March 2025

What began as a routine search for wood by Vincent and Nikau Dix on Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) has led to...

Archaeologists discover rare Caanite inscription on ancient ivory comb

12 November 2022

12 November 2022

Israeli archaeologists discovered a rare inscription on an ivory comb that sheds new light on the Canaanite language’s use some...

A section of one of Britain’s most important Roman roads unearthed under Old Kent Road in south-east London

15 November 2024

15 November 2024

Archaeologists have found a section of a Roman road under Old Kent Road in south-east London, part of one of...

Mysterious Mongolian Arc in Eastern Mongolia Studied for the First Time

30 December 2023

30 December 2023

Researchers have studied the 405-km wall system in eastern Mongolia known as the Mongolian Arc to learn more about its...

A first in 35 years! Child grave with bracelets and gifts found in ancient city of Kelenderis

25 June 2022

25 June 2022

During this year’s excavations in the ancient city of Kelenderis, founded on the Mediterranean coast in the southern province of...

Archaeologists discovered 7,000-years-old Neolithic Settlement in the Czech Republic

31 July 2024

31 July 2024

Archaeologists have discovered a Neolithic settlement of about 7,000 years old near Kutná Hora, east of Prague in the Czech...

Serbian Archaeologists Unearth Roman Triumphal Arch Dedicated to Emperor Caracalla

24 January 2024

24 January 2024

Archaeologists in Serbia have unearthed an ancient Roman triumphal arch dating back to the third century at Viminacium, a Roman...

“Last Rhodes shipwreck” of Roman period found in Turkey’s Fethiye

5 March 2022

5 March 2022

Turkish researchers, a Rhodes shipwreck from the third century A.D. was discovered in the depths of the Gulf of Fethiye...

5,500-Year-Old Blade Workshop Unearthed Near Biblical Gath Reveals

28 July 2025

28 July 2025

In a groundbreaking archaeological discovery, Israeli researchers have unearthed a 5,500-year-old flint blade workshop near Kiryat Gat, southern Israel—the first...

The sensational second discovery in Croatia: Greek-Illyrian Helmet 2500 years old

16 April 2024

16 April 2024

Archaeologists found a 2500-year-old Greek-Ilyrian helmet during excavations in the Gomila area in the town of Zakotorac on Croatia’s Pelješac...

A Roman copper-alloy tiny tortoise figurine found in Suffolk

3 December 2023

3 December 2023

In July last year, a small Roman copper alloy tortoise or turtle figurine was discovered by metal detectors near the...