Archaeologists Discover Rare Scorpion-Shaped Mound
A 1,400-year-old scorpion-shaped effigy mound in the Tehuacán Valley, Puebla, may have been used for solar observation.
The mound is located in the center of the largest preserved prehistoric irrigation system in Mesoamerica, covering approximately 100 square kilometers of canals that have functioned for over 4,000 years.
The discovery has been described as “unprecedented”
Background
Effigy mounds, prehistoric earthen mounds shaped like animals or figures, are common in the midwestern United States but rare in Mesoamerica.
- The mound and plaza complex were found in 2004 during a survey of prehistoric canal systems in the Tehuacán Valley.
- The site is about 160 miles southeast of Mexico City.
Author summary: Archaeologists discover a rare scorpion-shaped mound in Mesoamerica.