A joint team of Mexican and international archaeologists has identified a major ceremonial site in the remote Veracruz highlands, identified as a Totonac Moon Temple. Dating to approximately 800 CE, the structure is characterized by its unique circular base and a series of observation slots aligned with the rise of the full moon during the winter solstice. Unlike other Totonac sites, this temple highlights the civilization's advanced understanding of lunar mechanics.
The site also yielded a collection of ceremonial pottery and obsidian blades, indicating that the temple was a site for high-status rituals. The discovery challenges previous assumptions about the Totonac people's primary focus on sun worship, revealing a more complex, dual-celestial religious system that governed their agricultural cycles.