The discovery of the Aztec Moon Goddess
How an accidental discovery in Mexico led to the uncovering of the Aztecs´ Great Temple.
Witness History · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
Electricity workers in Mexico City accidentally uncovered a massive stone sculpture in 1978. It turned out to be the Aztec Goddess of the Moon, Coyolxauhqui. The sculpture was found in an area where the Aztecs, 500 years earlier, had built the capital of their empire: the city of Tenochtitlán. The discovery changed the face of the Mexican capital.
María Elena Navas spoke to Raúl Arana, one of the archaeologists who identified the sculpture as the Moon Goddess.
Photo: The sculpture of Coyolxauhqui, the Aztec Moon Goddess (Getty Images)