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INAH completes first altimetric survey of Aztec capital's buried sacred precinct in Mexico City
INAH completed the first comprehensive altimetric survey of the area that once held the sacred precinct of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, beneath Mexico City's historic centre. The study covered roughly a 450‑metre square, encompassing streets San Ildefonso, Luis González Obregón, Correo Mayor, El Carmen, the north side of the National Palace and the façade of the Metropolitan Cathedral.
Fieldwork ran from May 2025 to March 2026, recording thousands of elevation points with Leica and Sokkia total stations, topographic GPS and millimetre‑precision measurements, processed in AutoCAD to produce a digital terrain model. Researchers also employed electrical resistivity tomography and ground‑penetrating radar to map structures without excavation. Director Raúl Barrera Rodríguez noted that cracks and inclinations in modern buildings often correspond to buried pre‑Hispanic foundations, and Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel de Icaza called the investigation unprecedented, expecting it to aid protection of archaeological heritage during future urban works.
Entities
Claudia Curiel de Icaza · Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) · Mexico City · Raúl Barrera Rodríguez · Tenochtitlan
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Fieldwork for the survey was conducted from May 2025 to March 2026. www.heritagedaily.com · www.artnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The surveyed area measured about 450 metres on each side, covering streets such as San Ildefonso, Luis González Obregón, Correo Mayor, El Carmen, the north side of the National Palace and the façade – www.heritagedaily.com · www.artnews.com · www.siempre.mx
- [● 3 SOURCES] The survey aims to improve protection of archaeological remains during future infrastructure and construction projects. www.heritagedaily.com · www.artnews.com · www.siempre.mx
- [● 2 SOURCES] Claudia Curiel de Icaza described the investigation as unprecedented and beneficial for preserving Mexico City’s archaeological heritage. www.artnews.com · www.siempre.mx
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Advanced geophysical techniques such as electrical resistivity tomography and ground‑penetrating radar were used to map the buried structures without excavation. streetartparis.fr
- [● 2 SOURCES] The survey used Leica and Sokkia total stations, topographic GPS and AutoCAD to create a digital terrain model with millimetre precision. www.heritagedaily.com · www.artnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Raúl Barrera Rodríguez said earlier excavations beside structural cracks revealed pre‑Hispanic foundations. www.heritagedaily.com · www.artnews.com · www.siempre.mx
- [● 4 SOURCES] INAH completed the first comprehensive altimetric survey of the buried sacred precinct of Tenochtitlan beneath Mexico City's historic centre. www.heritagedaily.com · www.artnews.com · streetartparis.fr · www.siempre.mx