19 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Skeleton Of “Spanish Monk” in Palace of Cortés Turns Out To Be An Aztec Woman

Recent research at the Palace of Cortés in Cuernavaca, Mexico, has revealed a grave historical error. For 50 years, it assumed that a skeleton on display at the palace was that of a Spanish monk – but a new analysis has shown that it actually likely belonged to an Aztec woman.

A recent study of the skeleton reveals that it corresponds to a Tlahuica woman, an Aztec tribe that founded its realm and royal residence on the Cuauhnáhuac Hill.

The Palacio de Cortés was damaged by the deadly Puebla earthquake in September 2017, prompting a renovation project to restore the structure to its former glory. This renovation included a reassessment of the burial near the entrance, with the evaluation of its state of conservation and a historical investigation of the individual.

Excavated in 1971, the burial was thought to be that of Juan Leyva, a Spanish monk who served Marchioness Juana de Zúñiga y Arellano, wife of Hernán Cortés. The identification was based on a Franciscan codex from the 16th century that described Leyva’s burial near the old house’s gate. However, differences in skeletal features, such as a fetal-like burial position and cranial modification, raised doubts about the identification.

Due to this seemingly valid conclusion, the description plaque that accompanied the archaeological window for almost half a century read: “Burial found in situ of a man with deformed vertebrae. Traditionally it is stated that it may be the monk Juan Leyva, who served the Marchioness Doña Juana de Zúñiga de Arellano, wife of Hernán Cortés and resident of this palace, however, due to the type of posture it may be an indigenous burial.”

The burial of an Aztec woman was found under the Palace of Cortés in Mexico. Photo: INAH

As the physical anthropologists pointed out, archaeologist Jorge Angulo already warned that history could be rewritten.

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) recently announced the results of a new analysis conducted by anthropologists Pablo Neptalí Monterroso Rivas and Isabel Bertha Garza Gómez.

The skeletal analysis revealed that the individual was a female aged 30 to 40 at the time of death. The presence of cranial flattening, a fetal-like burial position, and other distinguishing characteristics indicated an Indigenous origin. The researchers proposed that the woman was buried ritualistically, possibly as part of a series of events, such as sacrifices, during the Spanish invasion between 1500 and 1521.

Jorge Angulo, an archaeologist with INAH, commented on the significance of the findings, stating, “It is more related to a pre-Hispanic burial, which could belong to the contact period or earlier.

Burial from the Palace of Cortés is that of a Tlahuica woman. Photo: INAH
Burial from the Palace of Cortés is that of a Tlahuica woman. Photo: INAH

Other remains from two other people, including an infant and a child, were also found during the study, raising the possibility of a family relationship. Researchers suggested conducting a DNA study to help clarify relationships.

The burial of the Tlahuica woman is especially significant because of its connection to the Palace of Cortés.  The palace was built by the Spanish in the 1520s on the ruins of the Aztec city of Cuauhnáhuac. The recently restored archaeological window, which has a plaque identifying the burial as that of a “Tlahuica Woman,” is a moving reminder of the intricate past ingrained in the location.

Cover Photo: INAH

Related Articles

21 Copperplate Inscriptions discovered at Ghanta Matham in India

14 June 2021

14 June 2021

During excavations at Ghanta Matham in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh,  important 21 copper plates for the Mallikarjuna Swami...

Unexpected Origins of Mysterious Mummies Buried in Boats in a Chinese Desert

17 February 2024

17 February 2024

In 1990, hundreds of mummified bodies were found buried in boats in an inhospitable desert area in the Xinjiang Uyghur...

Research Uncovers the Parthenon’s Spectacular Lighting Effects for Athena in Antiquity

9 May 2025

9 May 2025

A four-year multidisciplinary study led by Oxford University Archaeologist Professor Juan de Lara has shed new light on a millennia-old...

Bronze Age family systems deciphered: Paleogeneticists analyze 3,800-year-old extended family

31 August 2023

31 August 2023

A Bronze Age family living 3,800 years ago in the Southern Urals may have taken a flexible approach to marriage,...

Japan’s Ancient Practice Of Cranial Modification: Hirota people in Tanegashima

21 August 2023

21 August 2023

A team of researchers from Kyushu University and the University of Montana has found evidence suggesting that the Hirota community,...

A New Late Ancient Necropolis Discovered on Hvar Island

10 June 2021

10 June 2021

The protective investigation in the garden of the Radoevi Palace in the town of Hvar on the Croatian island of...

Seven Roman altars multicolored in the Great Northern Museum

12 November 2021

12 November 2021

We know that the ancient world is now very colorful. But these colors weren’t just limited to robes and other...

Ancient cooking vessel found in northern Minnesota dates back more than 1,600 years

28 February 2022

28 February 2022

Dating of Ceramic sherds found in 2003 at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota revealed the vessel...

Poseidon Temple in Greece Larger than Previously Assumed

27 January 2024

27 January 2024

New excavations at Kleidi-Samikon in Greece’s Western Peloponnese show that the temple, discovered in 2022, is more monumental than previously...

A shipboard 14th-century cannon found off the Swedish coast may be the oldest in Europe

14 September 2023

14 September 2023

An international research team led by maritime archaeologist Staffan von Arbin of the University of Gothenburg has confirmed that a...

2,000-year-old Celtic hoard of gold ‘rainbow cups’ discovered in northeastern Germany

13 January 2022

13 January 2022

Archaeologists have found an ancient Celtic coins treasure consisting of 41 gold coins in a field in Brandenburg, a state...

Ancient tools discovered in Maryland show the first humans came to America 7,000 years earlier than previously thought

23 May 2024

23 May 2024

When and how humans first settled in the Americas is a subject of considerable controversy. A Smithsonian Institution geologist now...

Archaeologists Unearth Monumental Relief Depicting Assyrian King and Major Deities in Ancient Nineveh

15 May 2025

15 May 2025

A team of archaeologists from Heidelberg University has made an extraordinary discovery in the ancient city of Nineveh, near modern-day...

In Germany, a well-preserved octagonal tower unearthed, which may have been inspired by towers on the city walls of Constantinople

5 September 2023

5 September 2023

During excavations at Neuenburg Castle near the town of Freyburg (Burgenlandkreis) in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the extraordinarily well-preserved,...

‘Mysterious’ inscription on ancient Dacia sphinx is deciphered

3 January 2024

3 January 2024

The mystery of the inscription on the bronze sphinx statue discovered in the early 19th century was solved 200 years...