In the rugged highlands of Oaxaca, Mexico, researchers have identified a 1,500-year-old Zapotec temple dedicated to the deity of time. The site features a series of jade-encrusted solar siphons—narrow apertures in the stone walls that capture the sun's rays during the spring equinox to illuminate a central altar dedicated to the god Cocijo.
The discovery was made possible through high-resolution terrestrial LiDAR, which pierced the dense vegetation covering the site. Archaeologists have also found a rare polychrome mural depicting the Zapotec 260-day ritual calendar, offering the most complete visual record of indigenous timekeeping discovered in the region to date.