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Earthquake Reveals a Huge Aztec Era Snakehead Sculpture Painted With Four Colors Under a Law School

An earthquake breaks open land underneath a law school and reveals a five-millennium-old snakehead that could be representing Quetzalcoatl.
PUBLISHED FEB 1, 2025
Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan. (Representative Cover Image Source: Wikimedia Commons | Photo by Janice Waltzer)
Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan. (Representative Cover Image Source: Wikimedia Commons | Photo by Janice Waltzer)

In 2022, an earthquake lay open a huge revelation for researchers beneath a law school in Mexico City. The natural disaster led to the unearthing of a massive and colorful snakehead from the Aztec Empire, LiveScience stated. Examinations unveiled that the artifact was five millenniums old. This result made experts make the connection to the Aztec empire, as the dynasty ruled the region 500 years ago.

Quetzalcoatl feathered serpent (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons/Photo by Codex Telleriano-Remensis)
Quetzalcoatl feathered serpent (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons/Photo by Codex Telleriano-Remensis)

The 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City on Sept. 19, 2022. The impact was strong enough to change the topography of the land on which the National Autonomous University of Mexico has been built. The snakehead was buried beneath a building that is part of the law school in the institution. Five centuries ago this region was part of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire, according to experts.

Researchers speculated that the artifact could be representing Quetzalcoatl, a deity in Aztec culture that was symbolized through a snake. This deity was a popular figure of worship in the Aztec empire, according to historical records. Experts are yet to conclusively determine if the figurine depicts Quetzalcoatl. After analysis the artifact's measurement came to be 5.9 feet (1.8 meters) long, 2.8 feet (0.85 m) wide, and 3.3 feet (1 m) high. The object is also around 1.3 tons (1.2 metric tons) in weight, as per the team of scientists. 



 

The team also observed several colors on the artifact. Colors like red, blue, black, and white were present on 80% of the sculpture's surface. Researchers believe the layer of mud caked on the artifact was the reason behind the colors on it being preserved for so long, as per Smithsonian Magazine. Protecting these colors was a challenge for scientists. “These pigments, which represent a notorious example of the color palette that the Mexica used to decorate their cult images and their temples, are extremely fragile due to the mineral and plant materials from which they were obtained,” explained  María Barajas Rocha, a conservationist working on the project. 

To keep the colors intact on the object experts from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) pulled it from the ground through a crane and then placed a humidity chamber around the artifact, according to Live Science. The chamber ensures that the humidity around the snakehead lessens gradually and not all at once. This phenomenon helps the color stay unimpaired on the object as long as possible. 


 
 
 
 
 
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The sculpture's dimensions and colors quickly grabbed the attention of archeologists all over the world. The colors gave researchers an idea of how these objects looked back in the day. "The survival of black, white, red, yellow, and blue paints is particularly interesting — one gains a good image of the visual impact of such sculptures as they were arrayed about the city center,"  Frances Berdan, a professor emeritus of anthropology at California State University, San Bernardino said. 

This is not the first Aztec snakehead to be located in this city, but what makes it stand apart is the colors on it. The conservation efforts undertaken by the team garnered appreciation from all corners. "Thanks to the context in which this piece was discovered, but above all, thanks to the stupendous intervention of the restorers-conservators led by Maria Barajas, it has been possible to stabilize the colors for its preservation in almost all the sculpture, which is extremely important, because the colors have helped us to conceive pre-Hispanic art from another perspective,"  Erika Robles Cortés, an archaeologist with the INAH shared. 

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