[Aztlan] lake archaeology

Sun May 27 11:32:34 CDT 2007

Many thanks to Mike for posting the news about the finds in the Laguna
de la Luna on the Nevado de Toluca. Sport/recreation divers have been
bringing up archaeological materials from there since at least the 1960s
and I am delighted to see that professional archaeologists finally are
taking over. Artes de Mexico, a Mexican art magazine devoted a 1972
issue to underwater archaeology that featured the recovery of large
quantities of copal from the Nevado de Toluca lakes. 

With all the emphasis on cenotes and other water features in the
lowlands, we tend to forget that highland Mesoamerica is studded with
lakes that attracted the attention of ancient worshippers. Those in the
crater of the Nevado may have been very special, given their altitude,
location at a mountain top but many others have yielded spectacular
remains. Unfortunately most of these were simply looted, or, if
archeologists were involved (i.e. Stephan de Borhegyi in Guatemala),
they remain poorly reported. Now it appears that INAH is taking its
underwater cultural patrimony seriously and we can hope to learn
something about this fascinating realm of pre-Hispanic religious
activity.

Dick Diehl  
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Today's Topics:

   1. AZTEC LIGHTNING BOLT SCEPTERS FOUND IN THE LAKE OF THE MOON
      (michael ruggeri)
   2. PHOTOS OF AZTEC SCEPTERS JUST FOUND (michael ruggeri)
   3. AZTEC SCEPTER PHOTOS (michael ruggeri)
   4. Re: AZTEC SCEPTER PHOTOS (Jules Siegel)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Fri, 25 May 2007 19:51:48 -0500
From: michael ruggeri <michaelruggeri at mac.com>
Subject: [Aztlan] AZTEC LIGHTNING BOLT SCEPTERS FOUND IN THE LAKE OF
	THE MOON
To: Aztlan <aztlan at lists.famsi.org>
Message-ID: <B8740B58-9429-4809-9E3D-B430311E5D83 at mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes;
	format=flowed

Possible Aztec offerings found in Mexico

By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer

Archaeologists diving into a lake in the crater of a snowcapped  
volcano found wooden scepters shaped like lightning bolts that match  
500-year-old descriptions by Spanish priests and conquerors writing  
about offerings to the Aztec rain god.

The lightning bolts ? along with cones of copal incense and obsidian  
knives ? were found during scuba-diving expeditions in one of the  
twin lakes of the extinct Nevado de Toluca volcano, at more than  
13,800 feet above sea level.

Scientists must still conduct tests to determine the age of the  
findings, but the writings after the Spanish conquest in 1521 have  
led them to believe the offerings were left in the frigid lake west  
of Mexico City more than 500 years ago.

Lightning bolt scepters "were used by Aztec priests when they were  
doing rites associated with the god Tlaloc," said Johan Reinhard, an  
anthropologist and explorer-in-residence for National Geographic  
Society who took part in more dives Thursday at the Lake of the Moon.  
"We think it is pretty clear that the Aztecs considered this one of  
the more important places of Tlaloc."

The research, which also involves the volcano's Lake of the Sun, is  
being led by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History.  
Stanislaw Iwaniszewski, an archaeology professor at the institute,  
said Aztec iconography often associates Tlaloc with lightning bolts.

"They were left in the lake to bring rain storms," Iwaniszewski said.  
Copal incense was burned to form "clouds," and sharp spines from the  
maguey cactus ? which does not grow at that altitude ? indicated  
worshippers brought them there to draw blood from themselves as part  
of the sacrifice.

Luis Alberto Martos, the institute's director of archaeological  
studies, said other artifacts found in the clear 32-degree waters of  
the lake indicate the ritual may have started about 100 B.C. ? long  
before the Aztecas settled in the area in 1325.

Mike Ruggeri's Ancient America and Mesoamerica News and Links
http://community-2.webtv.net/Topiltzin-2091/MIKERUGGERISANCIENT/ 
index.html

Mike Ruggeri's Maya Archaeology News and Links
http://community-2.webtv.net/Topiltzin-2091/MIkeRuggerisMaya/index.html

Mike Ruggeri's Ancient America Museum Exhibitions, Conferences and  
Lectures
http://community-2.webtv.net/Topiltzin-2091/AncientAmerica/index.html

Mike Ruggeri's Mound
Builders and Ancient Southwest News and Links
http://community-2.webtv.net/Topiltzin-2091/MIKERUGGERISMOUND/index.html

Mike Ruggeri's Andean Archaeology News and Links
http://community-2.webtv.net/Topiltzin-2091/MikeRuggerisAndean/ 
index.html

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 25 May 2007 20:04:49 -0500
From: michael ruggeri <michaelruggeri at mac.com>
Subject: [Aztlan] PHOTOS OF AZTEC SCEPTERS JUST FOUND
To: Aztlan <aztlan at lists.famsi.org>
Message-ID: <CA6CBF5D-228A-42E6-9AE6-418BDF80D147 at mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

Listeros,

This slideshow will be up for a limited time on Yahoo

Mike Ruggeri

feed://rss.news.yahoo.com/imgrss/events/sc/021903anthroarchaeo

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Fri, 25 May 2007 20:56:54 -0500
From: michael ruggeri <michaelruggeri at mac.com>
Subject: [Aztlan] AZTEC SCEPTER PHOTOS
To: Aztlan <aztlan at lists.famsi.org>
Message-ID: <2ABB12E3-2BEA-4767-A8A7-48624D71E650 at mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

Listeros,

If you have trouble calling up the Aztec scepter photos I posted the  
URL of, type in the phrase Yahoo archaeological photos into google  
and it will come up that way. When you see the photo of the box with  
the scepters, click on multiple photos in the top right corner and  
you will see a slide show of the discovery.

Mike Ruggeri

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Sat, 26 May 2007 08:33:01 -0500
From: Jules Siegel <jules at cafecancun.com>
Subject: Re: [Aztlan] AZTEC SCEPTER PHOTOS
To: Aztlan <aztlan at lists.famsi.org>
Message-ID: <4658370D.8020202 at cafecancun.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

michael ruggeri wrote:
> Listeros,
>
> If you have trouble calling up the Aztec scepter photos I posted the  
> URL of, type in the phrase Yahoo archaeological photos into google  
> and it will come up that way. 
>   
Here's a good one: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3213220

A slide show:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/25/ap/tech/main2852525.shtml

-- 
JULES SIEGEL Apdo. 1764, 77501-Cancun, Q. Roo, Mexico
http://www.cafecancun.com/bookarts

Newsroom-l, news and issues for journalists
http://www.newsroom-l.net/

------------------------------

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