MEXICO CITY.- The remains of the house, whose adaptations are of indigenous construction, may have been occupied by Spaniards during the early viceroyalty period between 1521 and 1620 A.D.

INAH’s Urban Archaeology Program also found Prehispanic traces of a platform and floor made of basalt slabs on an open plaza.

Three years after cleaning and restoring Mexico’s overthrown ‘Tenochtitlan’ as much as possible, the hosts of Hernán Cortés eventually returned to prepare and adapt areas for their reuse. Almost 500 years after the conquest of the capital of the Mexican empire, archaeologists of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have discovered the ruins of a house erected shortly after the fall - readapting the sacred enclosure of ‘Tenochca’.

Amidst the cold walls of the 19th century building, located on 17 Justo Sierra Street in the historic center of Mexico City, a team of specialists from the Urban Archaeology Program (PAU) of the INAH have undertaken archaeological salvage projects in the last four months allowing for the exploration of the ruins of a platform that ran behind the most important ritual space of ‘Tenochtitlan’: the ‘Templo Mayor’ (Great Temple), as well as those of the aforementioned house of the early viceroyalty period (1521-1620 A.D.).

Due to the different levels of land caused by natural sinking, and in regard to the recommendations of the specialists responsible for the architectural rehabilitation to be undertaken in this building, archaeologists are currently conducting surveys to gather information regarding the ancient occupation of this space, which is adjacent to both the Mexican Society of Geography and Statistics, and the archaeological zone of the ‘Templo Mayor’.

The head of the PAU Raúl Barrera Rodríguez stated that below wells more than 2.40 meters deep the remains of floors made from basalt slabs were discovered. These floors are indicative of the existence of an open space or square in this area of the sacred enclosure of ‘Tenochtitlan’, near the ‘Casa de las Águilas’ (House of the Eagles).

In addition, a platform with a north-south orientation that is nearly 40 cm high and 12 meters long which could possibly pertain to the same one behind the ‘Templo Mayor’ (Great Temple), and, perhaps, continue on under the street Justo Sierra and even the ‘Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso ‘(Old College of San Ildefonso) building that is in front of the property where this archaeological site is being carried out, has also been discovered.

Furthermore, Mr. Barrera Rodríguez has stated that this structure, erected for the period of government of Moctezuma Xocoyotzin (1502 to 1520 A.D.), ‘Tlatoani’ with whom Cortés met, could be a part of the eastern boundary of the Mexican sacred enclosure.

Through a borehole drilled at the northwest end of the site, the presence of architectural ruins corresponding to an early viceroyalty period house caught the attention of archaeologists because of the building materials consisting of basalt slabs, andesite blocks and tezontle ashlars. It is believed that they were taken from the demolition of Mexican basements and floors for the construction of the new houses of the allies of Hernán Cortés, a few years after the fall of Tenochtitlan, on August 13, 1521.

In order to confirm the characteristics of these ruins as best as possible, the excavation was extended to 3.60 meters long by 2 meters wide, and 2.70 meters deep. As a result, a well-preserved staircase attached to a 1-meter wide wall, which served as a side entrance to the house, was found.

Raúl Barrera said, “This discovery is a ‘wonder!’, because we can see its clear construction undertaken by surviving Mexicas; these steps (made with blocks of basalt) and the wall preserve a thin layer of stucco made from lime and sand, in typical indigenous characteristics; but the architectural design of this house is undoubtedly European.”

"An interesting aspect that can be seen in the ruins of this house is that the original Prehispanic flooring was not used, but rather leveled off and then covered over with the basalt slabs. Often, the Mexicas would erect new viceroyalty dwellings on top of Prehispanic structures; sometimes they would reuse or adapt walls as foundations," he said.

Archeologists believe that the Mexicas were brought back to the sacred enclosure to serve as laborers, beneath the supervision of the Spaniards. An example of this is the unearthed staircase, which denotes the continuity of indigenous construction techniques, but with Renaissance architectural patterns. "Although Tenochtitlan fell, the Spaniards feared an insurrection, and this precaution is noted in the construction and thickness of the walls of the house built in the first years after the Spanish conquest," concluded the head of the PAU.

It is worth mentioning that the approximately 170 hectares of devastated area of Tenochtitlan amounted to one quarter of the city and, contrary to what might be believed, the destruction of its buildings was not immediate: only the ‘Templo Mayor’ (the largest in volume) was still in demolition around 1541.

The team of people from the PAU, comprised by Andrea Campos Vargas, Lorena Medina Martínez, Francisco Delgado Meza, Ingrid Trejo Rosas and Enrique Vela Ramírez, have completed the archaeological excavation work on the site of the discovery, and will now begin historical researching and the study of recovered materials, which range from ceramic fragments from Prehispanic periods, early viceroyalty and late viceroyalty (with a prominent presence of Majolicas), remains of figurines that represented the diverse viceroyalty society and countless remains of fauna.