MEXICO CITY, Mexico (Achieve3000, August 27, 2007).
Mexican archaeologists believe that they have located the tomb of an ancient Aztec emperor. No one has ever found the tomb of an
Aztec ruler before. The scientists believe that the tomb contains the remains of Emperor Ahuizotl. He ruled the Aztecs when
Columbus landed in the New World. The find could provide a window into the Aztec civilization at its peak.
Archaeologists are thrilled to have found a link to the Aztec civilization. The Aztecs ruled much of what is now Mexico between 1428 and 1521. In 1519, Spaniard Hernan Cortes and his men marched into the Mexico Valley. They took the ruler
Montezuma prisoner. Cuauhtemoc (kwow-TAY-mock) then took over as ruler. He led the Aztecs in a battle against Spaniards at
Mexico City in 1521. The Spanish took Cuauhtemoc prisoner and killed him. They then conquered the Aztec civilization.
Until recently, archaeologists could not explore the Aztecs' ceremonial center. It is the area where the Aztecs buried their rulers. Why not? The Spanish built their own colonial buildings on top of the tombs. These buildings are too historically valuable to remove. In 1985, however, an earthquake damaged one of the buildings. Officials had to tear down the building. This left the area free for archaeologists to explore.
Since no Aztec royal tomb has ever been found before, archaeologists are digging into the unknown. Using radar , they located the tomb. They determined that the tomb has up to four chambers. Archaeologists have also located what appears to be a six-foot-by-six-foot entryway into the tomb. The passage is filled with water, rocks, and mud. Therefore, workers must dig carefully while hanging from slings. The archaeologists are using pumps to keep the water level down.

"We are [digging] very, very slowly . . . because the responsibility is very great . . ., " said archaeologist Leonardo
Lopez Lujan. "It's a totally new situation for us, and we don't know exactly what it will be like down there."
The water was probably a blessing in the long run. Why? Its temperature was constant. That, together with the lack of oxygen, helped keep materials like wood and bone from falling apart.
Archaeologists hope to enter the inner chambers of the tomb by the fall. They believe that the tomb is an important one—that of the Aztec ruler Ahuizotl (ah-WEE-zoh-tuhl). Ahuizotl was an empire-builder. He extended the Aztecs' reach as far as
Guatemala.
Why do scientists believe that the tomb belongs to Ahuizotl?
There are several clues. First, the site lies directly below a huge, recently discovered stone monolith . The monolith is carved with a picture of Tlaltecuhtli (tlahl-tay-KOO-tlee), the Aztec god of the earth. In the claw of Tlaltecuhtli's right foot, there is a rabbit and
10 dots. This suggests the date "10 Rabbit," or 1502. That was the year of Ahuizotl's death.
"[We believe] that this is probably the tomb of Ahuizotl," Lopez
Lujan said. If scientists are correct, they will have found a key to further knowledge about the Aztecs.
"This would be quite an important find for Aztec archaeology," said Michael Smith. He is an archaeologist who is not connected to the dig. "It would [supply] direct information about . . . the

[Aztec] empire that is difficult to come by otherwise."
Scientists think that they will find many offerings to the gods on the floor of the tomb.
"[Ahuizotl] must have been buried with solemn ceremony and rich offerings, like vases, ornaments, . . . and certainly some objects he personally used," said Luis Alberto Martos. Martos is director of archaeological studies for Mexico.
Any objects linked to Ahuizotl would bring tremendous pride to
Mexico. The country has sought unsuccessfully to recover Aztec artifacts from a museum in Vienna, Austria.
"Imagine it—this wasn't just any high-ranking man. The Aztecs were the most powerful society of their time before the arrival of the Spaniards," Martos said. "That's why Ahuizotl's tomb down there is so important." http://portal.achieve3000.com/kb/lesson/?lid=3257&step=11&c =
Write a summary of today's article. As you write your summary, do the following:
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