Strange mounds puzzled residents of Mexican town.
They hid a 2,000-year-old settlement
They spotted a series of large mounds dotting the forested landscape, which piqued the interest of state archaeologists. During a subsequent three-day investigation of the area, the archaeologists uncovered a pre-Hispanic settlement that dates back nearly 2,000 years, according to an Aug. 1 news release from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
Some of the unearthed structures were built from stone and adobe, a type of dried mud used in construction. The site, strategically located a half mile from the Tecpan River, appeared to be the ancient city of Apancalecan, which is referenced in 16th century sources, officials said.
The name Apancalecan roughly translates to the place of the house with water channels, officials said, noting that water storage structures were discovered at the site.
Ceramics and other artifacts found by archaeologists suggest the city was occupied from as early as 200 AD — over 1,200 years before Columbus sailed to the Americas.
People may have carried on living there until as late as 1521, around the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The city’s newfound ruins are just one of many pre-Hispanic sites discovered throughout the region, officials said.
The network of ancient remains helps shed light on thousands of years of cultural development in Mexico.