Notes

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (Achieve3000, October 22, 2012). While digging a new highway near Mexico City, workers discovered some very old and very unexpected objects in the ground. These objects included ceramic pots and foundations of homes. They were part of an ancient town. Upon hearing the news, local citizens set up a protest camp to block the backhoes. They also summoned archaeologists to investigate. After surveying the site, archaeologists were as excited as the citizens were—and, soon, just as upset. This is because local officials ordered everyone to leave the site so the road work could continue. Now, citizens are refusing to budge. They have vowed not to give up their window into the past without a fight.

The site in question is located in an area known as Amecameca. The site was examined by archaeologists with Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (NIAH). The NIAH has not yet published a formal report of its work. It has, however, announced some preliminary findings. The ruins found at the site, NIAH archaeologists say, do not appear to be particularly remarkable. They are just stone and clay foundations of houses. However, the archaeologists add, it's that very ordinariness that makes them unusual—and important.

Most ancient relics found in Mexico come from once-sacred ceremonial centers. The ruins recently unearthed at the Amecameca site, however, are different. They do not possess the qualities of long-lost religious sites. Rather, they appear to be the ruins of an ancient neighborhood inhabited by average citizens. Common dwelling-places such as these have largely disappeared over the centuries. The artifacts at Amecameca could potentially provide a rare look into the day-to-day lives of regular families of ancient Mexico.

"What makes this important is that it is a residential area," said NIAH historian Felipe Echenique. "In Mexico, we really have very little evidence of how the cities really were, or how people lived."

Echenique believes the ancient housing compounds were built by one of the cultures that lived in the Valley of Mexico many centuries ago. This culture existed long before the Aztecs appeared in the area in 1325 and established Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan was the precursor to Mexico City.

In addition to the foundations of homes, ceramic pots and bones were found at the site. And these findings may be just the beginning. Thus far, only about 120 square yards of the site have been investigated. Archaeologists say more important discoveries could potentially emerge from the site.

This is why researchers and local citizens are enraged. They don't want the site to be reburied with the building of a new road. The protesters have filed complaints with officials. They are demanding that the archaeological work continue. They are asking for the highway to be rerouted.

"The planned route wouldn't have to be changed that much," says protester Rebeca Lopez Reyes.

Authorities have not yet commented on the protesters' demands. Meanwhile, protesters continue to camp out at the site. One such protester is Maria de los Angeles Eusebio. She said the protesters are equipped with tents, coffee, "and lots and lots of blankets." They remain day and night to make sure that the remains of their ancestors' town are not destroyed.

"We don't want them to just bury this [site] and run the highway over the top of it," said Eusebio. "We want [the artifacts to be displayed] in a museum for the community."