While briefly exposed, the site has been reburied and awaits proper archaeological excavation.
A construction project meant to add a third lane to the Pachuca-Huejutla highway in central-eastern Mexico took a turn when crews discovered an ancient pyramid -- part of which dipped below the existing roadway.
The pyramid -- now known as Structure 1 in what is being called the San Miguel settlement -- features at least 10 mounds in five different sections, and excavations have already found over 150 artifacts ranging from ceramics and shells to lime floors and lithic materials. Experts from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said the pyramid is pre-Hispanic in origin, and could date to somewhere between the Epiclassic period to the Late Postclassic period (sometime between 650 and 1519 A.D.).
"The data generated by this archaeological record will contribute to the understanding of human occupation in the Sierra Alta region of Hidalgo, specifically in the Barranca de Metztitlán area," said the INAH report on the find, according to Heritage Daily, "where, according to historiography, the first settlements date back at least 14,000 years."
The pyramid could represent a piece of the larger San Miguel settlement, which likely existed in the area. It could also be connected to the Metzca lordship -- a society that lived in the Sierra Alta region.
It would have all remained hidden if not for the road project. Construction on the highway unearthed the buried pyramid, and the team used drones to take photos that were used to create a 3D model of the site. Crews then stabilized the ancient pyramid with a 140-foot stone wall before reburying the site to ensure conservation of the pyramid.
This discovery joins a handful of recent occurrences in which humdrum, ordinary objects or activities accidentally open a door to Mexico's past.
The site is once again buried, but that doesn't mean archaeologists won't be back. "There are no known remnants of pre-Hispanic civilizations in this immediate area," Héctor Labra Chávez, director of tourism for San Agustin Metzquititlán, said according to Archaeology Magazine. "Deeper studies are essential to uncover the cultural context of this significant find."
Plus, since part of the pyramid's base dips beneath the existing roadway, excavation is actually going to be required.
When work begins again at Structure 1 of San Miguel is as much a mystery as what archaeologists will find when they return. The INAH announced a 2025 budget with a 45 percent reduction in funding, putting the future of discovering the past at the San Miguel pyramid in question.