Coyolxauhqui - Sister of Huitzilopoxtli © All Rights Reserved
Sculptured by the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan, Mexico



On the night of the 21st of February 1978, employees of the Mexico City Electric Light Company were found working in the very heart of Mexico City, on the corner of the Guatemala and Argentina streets. They had penetrated the thick layer of concrete pavement and had dug down approximately seven feet when they came across a hard rock that prevented them from continuing. After removing the layer of mud that covered it, they noticed that the stone had a series of reliefs on it, so they decided to stop work until the following day. After telephoning the Archaeological Rescue Office of the Mexican National Institute of History and Anthropology, archaeological equipment was sent over to the place to find out what was happening. It wasn't until the 23rd of February that it was definitely established that the find was, in effect, part of a piece of sculpture in which one could make out the profile of an adorned head. Under the control of the archaeologists, work continued on the rescue until the 27th of the month. The piece of stone turned out to be an enormous monolith of 3.25 meters in diameter. The upper part was sculpted with a relief of a decapitated nude woman with her arms and legs separated from the body. It represents the Coyolxauhqui, sister of Huitzilopoxtli, who according to the Mexica History, had been killed by her brother on the hill of Coatepec (snake hill), after a single handed combat.

The figure you see above is the stone sculpture the Electric Light Company employees found.

This find precipitated a renewed interest to excavate and investigate the Great Aztec or Mexica Temple right in the center of today's Mexico City. The site now has a museum and is open to the public.


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