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Hundreds of yellow spheres have been found scattered in hidden chamber
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Mexican archaeologists admit they have no idea what the orbs are for
- Drones and robots made the discovery using infrared scanners
By Victoria Woollaston
PUBLISHED: 05:15 EST, 2 May 2013 | UPDATED: 02:02 EST, 3 May 2013
Hundreds of mysterious golden-coloured orbs have been found buried in a hidden chamber deep beneath the Temple of Feathered Serpent in Mexico.
The discovery was made by archaeologists from the Mexico National Institute of Anthropology and History, who admit they have no idea what the spheres are for.
A tiny robot called Tláloc II-TC, which has been scanning tunnels deep beneath the famous temple, found the orbs using infrared scanners.
Hundreds of mysterious spheres have been discovered beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, in the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan, just 30 miles from Mexico City
According to archaeologists from the Mexico National Institute of Anthropology and History, the spheres would have appeared to be made of gold because they are covered in jarosite – a bi-product of the oxidisation of pyrite, also known as Fool’s Gold
Infrared scanners found the location of the chamber and the orbs. Archaeologists have no idea what the spheres would have been used for, although believe they may have been involved with religious rituals
THE TLALOC II-TC ROBOT
The Tláloc II-TC is named after the Aztec god of rain.
It is three-feet-long and can squeeze through tight spaces and explore small, hidden areas.
It is fitted with video cameras and a mechanical arm used to clear obstacles out of its way.
It is part of a robotic system called Tlaloque, which includes a large rover that carries the two smaller robots.
Once the Tlaloque arrives at a chamber, the robots break off and scan the area using infrared scanners.
A separate flying drone captures video footage.
They were hiding in a previously unexplored ancient chamber at the end of a stretch of 2,000-year-old unexplored tunnel on the Teotihuacan site, near the Pyramid of the Sun.
Jorge Zavala, an archaeologist on the dig said: ‘They look like yellow spheres, but we do not know their meaning.
It’s an unprecedented discovery.’
The spheres are made of clay and range from 1.5 to 5 inches in circumference.
They get their yellow colour from a material called jarosite.
Lead archaeologist Sergio Gomez explained that the spheres appear to be made of metal because jarosite is formed by the oxidation of pyrite, which is a metallic ore also known as Fool’s Gold.
The walls in the chamber were also found to be dusted in pyrite, which gave it an appearance of a gold room.
The archaeologists therefore think that the orbs would have been used by ‘high-ranking people, priests, or even rulers’ to perform rituals within the tunnels.
Although, the team admit what part they played in these rituals, and what these rituals meant remain a mystery.
The team from the Mexican Institute have been using the robot for months to explore the tunnels under the celebrated temple, also known as the Temple of Quetzalcoatl.
Explorer: This robot may have made a momentous discovery in a 2,000-year-old tunnel in Mexico
The was the first image transmitted by the robot deep under the ancient temple
Famous: The social structure of Teotihuacan remains a mystery after nearly 100 years of archaeological exploration at the site
WHAT WAS TEOTIHUACAN?
Teotihuaca means ‘the place where men become gods’.
The site is thought to be a burial ground.
The Teotihuacan people worshipped eight gods, and were known to carry out human sacrifices.
The ancient city was founded 2,500 years ago and was once one of the biggest cities on Earth with over 100,000 residents – Earth at this time only house 200 million people.
The city was totally abandoned in 700 AD and very little is know about the civilisation, or what caused the mass exodus.
The temple lies about 37 miles north of Mexico City and the site houses the remains of the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan in the Basin of Mexico.
It is best known for the towering Pyramids of the Moon and the Sun.
Earlier this year, the team and the remote-controlled robot found three unexplored passages.
It was only expected to find one.
The discovery of the hidden passages and golden orbs could be highly important.
