Archaeologists discover underground tunnels under a Mexican city

Archaeologists have confirmed the existence of a network of underground chambers and tunnels beneath the ancient city of Mitla in Mexico, a site known for its connections with the Zapotecs.

Archaeologists have confirmed the existence of a network of underground chambers and tunnels beneath the ancient city of Mitla in Mexico, a site known for its association with the Zapotec god of death, Pitao Bezelao. This discovery was made using advanced geophysical methods, including ground-penetrating radar, electrical resistivity tomography and seismic noise tomography, which revealed a series of chambers and tunnels that likely represent as yet unknown Zapotec tombs.

The research group, led by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH), examined five different sets of ruins at Mitla: the church group, the arroyo group, the adobe group, the southern group, and the column group. Marco Vigato, founder of the ARX project, revealed the extent of this underground system of tunnels and chambers, stating: “Some tunnels and chambers reach considerable depths, exceeding 15 meters.” He added: “In the case of the southern group, the depth reaches 30 meters – this is the deepest the instruments can penetrate.”

One of the most significant finds is a large void under the main altar of the church of San Pablo Apostol in Mitla. Vigato noted: “It was no coincidence that there was a void under the church’s altar.” The Church of San Pablo Apostol was built in the 16th century by the Spanish on the remains of the most sacred temple of the ancient Zapotec civilization, symbolizing the triumph of the new faith. Much of the ruins were incorporated into the foundations of the church, which was built from stones torn from ancient buildings.

The Zapotec and other Mesoamerican peoples called Mitla “the place of the dead.” The Zapotecs believed that the caves and underground labyrinth beneath Mitla were the entrance to an underground world called Lyobaa. Vigato explained: “For this reason, Mitla was the center of the cult of Pitao Bezelao, the Zapotec god of death and the underworld, and for centuries was the cemetery of Zapotec kings and high priests.” This belief led to the city’s association with death and the underworld, and according to historical accounts such as those by the 17th-century Dominican Friar Francisco de Burgoa, the site contained a “labyrinth of rooms and tunnels” believed to be the entrance to the underworld.

Previous excavations have failed to find anything that matches Burgoa’s description, but recent geophysical surveys have identified subterranean geophysical anomalies to be investigated in future field work. The team discovered tunnels that penetrated deep underground, with some structures approximately 15 meters long and 10 meters wide under the Church of San Pablo Apostol. Vigato noted: “It is possible that the tunnels, especially those under the church group, extend further north, east and south. They are likely to combine with other geophysical anomalies identified in other groups.”

Archaeologists suggest that this underground system may have even been the resting place of ancient Zapotec kings. Francisco de Burgoa, in his 1674 text “Geografica Descripción”, stated that the Zapotec kings are buried “richly dressed in their best clothes”, with “feathers, jewels, gold necklaces and precious stones”, holding “a shield in their left hand and javelin on the right side, as they were used in war. He also described two further caves containing the chapel and burial chamber of the Zapotec high priests, and a final chamber leading to a “dark and macabre room” where “the bodies of the victims of great lords and chiefs who had fallen in battle were thrown.”

The true extent of the tunnel network is not yet known. Vigato stated, “They may have been created by the Zapotecs or they may have been much older. At this time, there is no indication of the possible age of the tunnels under the church or other groups of structures in Mitla.” He emphasized that “findings from geophysical scans will have to be confirmed by archaeological methods. This would allow us to determine the nature of the depressions identified beneath the site and whether they contain artifacts of archaeological significance.”

Natural caves in the Mitla region have been inhabited and partially modified by humans for thousands of years. According to Vigato, “The earliest evidence of crop domestication in the Mitla area dates back almost 10,000 years.” Despite this long history, experts have not been able to determine how old these underground networks are.

The Zapotec civilization began in Oaxaca approximately 2,300 years ago and collapsed in the area around 900 AD, although the cause of this collapse remains unknown as there were no signs of violent destruction. The Zapotec people did not disappear completely, but established a new center at Mitla in the Oaxaca Valley. The area of Mitla was occupied until the Spanish conquest in 1519 AD Today, the Zapotecs are the indigenous people of Mexico and are still centered in Oaxaca, where the population is just under one million. They are largely Catholic, although some ancient beliefs still survive.

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Scientists now hope to determine the nature of the depressions identified beneath the site and whether they contain artifacts of archaeological significance. Vigato said: “This could determine the nature of the depressions identified beneath the site and whether they contain artifacts of archaeological significance.”

Sources: The Scottish Sun, The Sun, Mail Online, The US Sun

This article was written in cooperation with Alchemiq, a company dealing with generative artificial intelligence