Temple of the Feathered Serpent burned and hidden; 200+ burials found inside. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent (also called the Temple of Quetzalcoatl) was built between approximately 100-200 CE alongside the major pyramids along the Avenue of the Dead In the 300s CE the temple was burned, then concealed behind a new platform called the Adosada, rather than being fully destroyed René Millon-Cargill's 1988 excavations confirmed that the temple's surface was burned and chunks of the same burned material were used as fill in the Adosada
The Temple of the Feathered Serpent was built around 100-200 CE, then burned in the 300s and concealed behind a new platform called the Adosada rather than destroyed. René Millon-Cargill's 1988 excavations found over 200 bodies inside, many with hands tied behind their backs yet buried with weapons and jade.
Key Facts
- The Temple of the Feathered Serpent (also called the Temple of Quetzalcoatl) was built between approximately 100-200 CE alongside the major pyramids along the Avenue of the Dead
- In the 300s CE the temple was burned, then concealed behind a new platform called the Adosada, rather than being fully destroyed
- René Millon-Cargill's 1988 excavations confirmed that the temple's surface was burned and chunks of the same burned material were used as fill in the Adosada
- The burned, hidden temple was left in this state for roughly 300 years
- Excavations inside the temple recovered over 200 bodies, mostly men in war regalia, buried in clustered groups
- Many of the buried individuals had their hands tied behind their backs, yet were interred with weapons, fine jewelry, and macob necklaces made of human jawbones
- Isotopic analysis of the burials' teeth showed they were locals from the Teotihuacan region, not foreign warriors as earlier theories proposed
Related site: Teotihuacan — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: Exploring the Greatest Mysteries of Teotihuacan by Archaeologist Ed Barnhart