Elite Toltec Structure, Carved Tombstones and Child Burials Unearthed Near Ancient Tula

Elite Toltec Structure and Carved Tombstones Discovered Near Ancient Tula

Archaeologists working near the ancient city of Tollan Xicocotitlan have uncovered the remains of an elite Toltec building, two carved stone tombstones and several ritual burials, providing fresh evidence that important communities continued to flourish around Tula even after the city's political peak.

The discoveries were made during archaeological rescue excavations carried out by specialists from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). The work took place ahead of the construction of a water treatment plant in Tula de Allende, just 100 metres from the protected Tula Archaeological Zone.

Image Credit : Gerardo Peña, INAH

At the centre of the excavation is a large ceremonial building known as Structure II. Measuring approximately 40 by 80 metres, the complex dates to the 12th century AD, a period when groups living around the former Toltec capital continued to embrace its religious beliefs, architecture and political traditions.

Researchers found that the building was decorated with carved chalchihuites, green stone symbols linked to power, wealth and high social status. They also uncovered two impressive carved stone reliefs believed to have originally decorated Pyramid B, the famous Temple of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, known for its towering Atlantean warrior statues.

One relief portrays Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the Toltec deity associated with the Morning Star and an aspect of Quetzalcoatl. The second depicts a finely carved feline figure similar to decorations previously found on Pyramid B.

According to excavation director Luis Gamboa Cabezas, these discoveries show that later communities deliberately reused powerful Toltec symbols to reinforce their own authority as the influence of Tula gradually declined.

The feline carving also solves a long-standing archaeological mystery. Earlier excavations suggested that decorative carvings appeared on only one side of Pyramid B. The newly discovered relief, carved in the opposite direction, indicates the decorative sequence likely surrounded the monument, completing its original design.

Excavations produced hundreds of additional artifacts dating between AD 1100 and 1521. Among them were ceramic vessels, plates, shell beads, spindle whorls, seals, bone awls and numerous figurines. Particularly notable are fragments showing a blue-painted canine wearing a ceremonial headdress and part of a vessel decorated with a feathered serpent.

Archaeologists also uncovered several human burials beneath the remains of ancient structures. One of the most remarkable discoveries was the burial of six children between one and six years old, who appear to have been interred together beneath a house floor as part of a ceremonial offering.

Researchers recovered a copper awl alongside one burial that matches scraping marks identified on a human jawbone. Specialists believe this tool may have been used during ritual ceremonies, although further analysis is needed before confirming its exact purpose.

The site has previously produced significant archaeological finds. Rescue excavations conducted in 2018 uncovered 23 human skulls showing intentional cranial modification and decorative dental alterations, practices commonly associated with elite members of pre-Hispanic society.

Because the excavation area lies within the floodplain of the Tula River, all recovered artifacts are undergoing careful conservation. The carved tombstones will be preserved along with their surviving painted surfaces, while the architectural remains have been documented, stabilized and reburied beneath protective layers to safeguard them for future generations.

INAH has also reached an agreement with local authorities to limit future construction above the archaeological remains, ensuring that this important part of Toltec heritage remains protected.

Researchers believe the discoveries demonstrate that the protected archaeological zone represents only a small portion of the original city. The findings continue to reveal the true scale of ancient Tula and highlight the importance of archaeological monitoring during modern infrastructure projects across Mexico.

Neolithic Tomb Builders Preserved Prehistoric Forests Through Sustainable Land Use, Study Finds

Neolithic Tomb Builders Preserved Prehistoric Forests Through Sustainable Land Use, Study Finds

Neolithic communities that constructed some of Europe's largest megalithic tombs more than 5,600 years ago managed their forests far more sustainably than previously believed, according to a new study by Polish researchers. The findings challenge the long-standing idea that early monument builders cleared vast areas of woodland to support farming and construction.

The research, led by scientists from the Faculty of Archaeology and the Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. It suggests that prehistoric communities carefully balanced agriculture, monument building, and environmental conservation, allowing forests to thrive alongside human activity.

Image Credit : Journal of Archaeological Science

The study focused on a remarkable Neolithic cemetery near the village of Sobota, close to Poznań in western Poland. Discovered in 2018 using LiDAR technology, the site contains five enormous earthen and stone tombs built by the Funnelbeaker culture. Dating to the fourth millennium BC, some of these monuments stretch up to 145 metres in length, making them among the largest prehistoric tombs in Central Europe.

The Funnelbeaker culture flourished across much of Central and Northern Europe between 3800 and 2700 BC and is best known for constructing impressive megalithic burial monuments that still dominate parts of the European landscape today.

To understand how these ancient communities interacted with their surroundings, researchers combined archaeological evidence with high-resolution palaeoecological analysis. Sediment cores taken from a nearby peat bog—once an ancient lake—were examined for pollen, microscopic charcoal, and larger charcoal fragments. These preserved environmental records allowed scientists to reconstruct changes in vegetation and human activity almost year by year over thousands of years.

The results paint a very different picture from what archaeologists had previously expected.

Instead of clearing forests through large-scale burning, the Funnelbeaker people appear to have practiced selective woodland management. They mainly removed young trees and shrubs while leaving mature forests largely untouched. This created small openings in the woodland canopy, allowing more sunlight to reach older trees, which actually increased their pollen production and encouraged healthy forest growth over several centuries.

Researchers believe this reflects a sophisticated form of rotational land use that balanced the needs of farming with the long-term health of the surrounding ecosystem.

Evidence also shows that agriculture and livestock grazing were closely integrated into the landscape surrounding the cemetery. Scientists identified spores of fungi associated with animal dung, along with other agricultural indicators, suggesting fields and grazing areas were located either beside the monumental tombs or separated from them only by a small lake.

The researchers describe this economic strategy as "quasi-sustainable," arguing that while people actively used natural resources, they did so without permanently damaging the primeval forests that surrounded their settlements.

The study also found that human activity did have some environmental impact. Continuous farming gradually increased soil erosion, causing sediment to accumulate in the nearby lake. Over time, the lake slowly became shallower before eventually transforming into the wetland that survives in the area today.

Even so, the findings suggest that Europe's early farming communities possessed a far more advanced understanding of landscape management than previously recognized. Rather than exhausting natural resources, they developed practices that allowed forests, farmland, and monumental architecture to coexist for generations.

The research forms part of the project "Lost and Found: Megalithic Funnel Beaker Culture Tombs in the Cultural and Natural Landscape of Greater Poland," funded by Poland's National Science Centre. Researchers believe the study provides valuable new insights into how some of Europe's earliest farming societies successfully balanced economic development with environmental sustainability more than five millennia ago.