The sixth field season of the Project Plaza of the Columns Complex took place in two periods: from February to March and from July to August of 2022. Once more, a big team of field and lab workers, archaeologists, and specialists were involved.

In 2022, 45 units and one tunnel were explored in Fronts D (Plaza of the Columns) and F (Plaza North of the Sun Pyramid).

Below we outline some of the most interesting finds of the season.

Front D

The end of the exploration of a feasting event

As previously reported, Offering D1 is the remnant of an important event. It is located at the base of Structure 25C, one of the biggest pyramids in Teotihuacan, and we think that it consists of the “trash” of a big feasting event to which people from remote places like the Maya area were invited. This context has been carefully excavated since the first field season, and during 2022 we finally found its limits: it has an approximate area of 17.5 m² (20.9 yd²). The next step is to finish analyzing the objects, which include more than 25 thousand sherds and other materials like animal bones and plant remains, which probably were part of the food served in this great feast.

A big structure that was burnt

Structure 44 was a large building. We know that it changed through time and its height was elevated as new walls and floors were constructed. The last phase that was built is the one that was found closer to the surface. Burnt residues and evidence that the building was dismantled were present above the floor associated with the final phase. This burning is associated to a big fire related to Teotihuacan’s collapse, that was also registered in Front C in 2017 and Front F’s Structure 8 in 2022.

Other details that we discovered about this structure were the locations of its northern wall and its southeastern corner. Not until recently did we know the structure’s width was 14 m and that it was at least 59 m long. However, we calculate that its total length was around 109 m. With future excavations, we will get more information about this structure.

Offering D5: More bone stories

Another interesting find was located at the base of Structure 44’s southeastern corner. It consists of a deposit of human and animal remains that included more than 1,446 fragments and extended over an area of 3.20 m². Interestingly, it was found at the same depth as Offering A1, which is located 19 m to the east. Were these two contexts related? Why were the bones placed there? The analysis of the materials that were recovered will give us more clues about these questions.

Front F

This excavation front is located on the other side of the Avenue of the Dead, in the Plaza North of the Sun Pyramid. Even though it can be contrasted to the Plaza of the Columns, both compounds seem related.

More burnt rooms

A part of Structure 8 was excavated. Explorations were focused on the last phase in which the structure was used. A series of rooms where people probably lived were discovered. We know that they are rooms because they were delimited by walls and had postholes. In the past, there were wood beams inside the holes that supported the roof. For this reason, we affirm that we explored the interior of these spaces. Moreover, there are burn marks related to these postholes and on the soil directly above the floor. This evidence of burning likely has to do with the great fire that took place in the city before its collapse.

On the superior part of those photos, there is a posthole.

Mural painting fragments

We found interesting mural painting examples that contrast with the Maya style murals located in Front D because the mural fragments found in Front F are clearly of Teotihuacan origin. This season, we found small mural painting remains directly over walls located in Structure 79B and in the western part of Structure 8, as well as fragments with designs.

A big wall

In 2018, a small window to the past was opened in which the wall that marks the eastern limit of the compound was found. This year, we continued in that area and looked for the northeastern corner of Plaza North of the Sun Pyramid by following the wall found in 2018. We registered interesting information regarding this wall’s architecture, but we did not locate the corner. We hope to recover more information about this wall and its corner during next season’s excavations.