Ancient World Review

400+ Animal Species Sacrificed In Tenochtitlan

"Mexican archaeologists have identified more than 400 animal species in some 60 offerings made to the gods at the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City, including molluscs, fish, birds, reptiles and mammals, the National Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH, said." Source: Hispanically Speaking News.

"The scientists have recovered, 'for example, fish from coral reefs in the Atlantic Ocean, reptiles including crocodiles, snakes and turtles, as well as birds like toucans and quetzals, and large mammals from the tropics like the jaguar,' INAH biologist Norma Valentin Maldonado said Friday."

Builders Bulldoze Mayan Temple In Belize

"A construction company has essentially destroyed one of Belize's largest Mayan pyramids with backhoes and bulldozers to extract rock for a road-building project." Source: Fox NY.

Note: According to the reports, the temple was "part of a 3,200 year old site known as Nohmul or 'Big Hill.'" More information can be found here.

Astronomical Alignment Found At Peru Pyramid

"An ancient astronomical alignment in southern Peru has been discovered by researchers between a pyramid, two stone lines [geoglyphs] and the setting sun during the winter solstice. During the solstice, hundreds of years ago, the three would have lined up to frame the pyramid in light." Source: Live Science.

Note: For more information on the pyramid, see Cerro del Gentil: A Paracas Mound Site In The Chincha Valley, Peru. (This academia.edu paper can be downloaded as a PDF)

Robot Will Assist In Exploration Of Temple In Teotihuacan

"Archaeologists from the National Anthropology and History Institute plan to use a robot to investigate the far reaches of a tunnel found beneath the Temple of the Plumed Serpent at Teotihuacan." Source: Archaeology.

New Methods Synch Mayan With Modern Calendars

"In a new study, scientists used modern methods to double-check the match between the Mayan Long Count calendar and the modern European calendar. Understanding how the two coincide is important, because research on the rise and fall of the Maya suggests that climate change spelled their doom. To be certain of that link, however, researchers have to be able to match carved Maya historical records with dates in the modern calendar." Source: NBC News.

4000-Yr-Old Shaman's Stones Found In Panama

"Archaeologists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama have discovered a cluster of 12 unusual stones in the back of a small, prehistoric rock-shelter near the town of Boquete. The cache represents the earliest material evidence of shamanistic practice in lower Central America." Source: Science Daily.

Mass Burial Site Discovered In Mexico

"XALTOCAN, MEXICO—Archaeologists at Georgia State University have discovered more than 150 human skulls with vertebra attached in a drained lake not far from Mexico City. Analysis of the remains found at Lake Xaltocan indicates that they are primarily the heads of men dating back roughly 1,100 years, between A.D. 600 and 850." Source: Archaeology Magazine.

Note: These remains apparently belonged to sacrificial victims.

Mayan Temple Damaged In Tourist "Apocalypse" Frenzy

"Tourists flocking to Guatemala for 'end of the world' parties have damaged an ancient stone temple at Tikal, the largest archeological site and urban center of the Mayan civilization." Source: AFP via France 24 International News.

"Sadly, many tourists climbed Temple II and caused damage," said Osvaldo Gomez, a technical adviser at the site, which is located some 550 kilometers (340 miles) north of Guatemala City."

Note:Video below is from the Tikal Project (1956-1970), a series of archaeological mapping, excavation and restoration expeditions carried out by the University of Pennsylvania. A media archive of Tikal can be found at Cyark.

Marine Archaeologists Discover Mayan Ceramics & Paintings

"Underwater archaeologists of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH – Conaculta), recently explored three spaces, all abundant with Mayan culture materials: two semidry caves in Campeche and a cenote [A water-filled limestone sink hole] in Yucatan. The cenote stands out since it contains particularly stylish ceramic that is calculated to have been elaborated about 2,300 years ago. This is unique in its type since it’s the only one that has been found in a cenote." Source: Archaeology News Network.

German Scientists To Explore Stone Age Sites In Mexico's Sacred Underwater Caves

"The cenotes on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula are a strange and yet unsettlingly beautiful world. They are created when the ceilings of limestone caves collapse. Some of the holes fill up with rainwater, while others reach down to the water table and are connected to giant cave labyrinths. In the Stone Age, many of the caves, which were dry at the time, were used as living quarters and burial sites. The Mayans later worshipped the cenotes as gateways to the underworld Xibalba ('Place of Fear')." Source: Spiegel Online.