Excavations deep beneath the Templo Mayor in Mexico City have revealed three massive stone chests packed with ritual offerings. These artifacts, which include greenstone figurines, marine shells, and copal incense, were buried by the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma I in the 1440s. Many of the figurines were already a thousand years old when they were buried, having been looted as war trophies from the Guerrero region.
The priests of the Templo Mayor repainted these 'antique' sculptures as the rain god Tlaloc before sealing them in a public ceremony. Archaeologists have confirmed a specific six-offering symmetry around the Great Pyramid, suggesting these deposits were part of a massive coordinated festival designed to ensure seasonal rains and imperial prosperity.