A detailed green stone mask unearthed beneath Mexico's Pyramid of the Sun may be a portrait of a specific individual. CREDIT: INAH

Archaeologists have unearthed a small hidden treasure which remained dormant underneath Mexico’s Pyramid of the Sun for thousands of years. Underneath the massive pyramid, they dug out animal remains, some pottery and a very beautiful green obsidian mask. The artifacts are thought to have been offerings that were placed there during the initial phase of the pyramid’s construction, sometime around 100 B.C.

Full source: LiveScience

Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered a small treasure trove of items that may have been placed as offerings to mark the start of construction on the Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Sun almost 2,000 years ago.

The offerings include pieces of obsidian and pottery as well as animal remains. Perhaps most striking are three human figurines made out of a green stone, one of which is a serpentine mask that researchers think may have been a portrait.

The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest structure in Teotihuacan, an archaeological site northeast of Mexico City that dates back to about 100 B.C. The city remained populated for hundreds of years, and the residents likely started to build the Pyramid of the Sun around A.D. 100.

Beheaded human remains, possibly sacrifices, were found nearby in the Pyramid of the Moon in 2004.

I think it’s a breathtaking moment the instant you gaze upon such artifacts. Pieces of religious artifacts or artwork that has been unseen by human eyes in more than 2,000 years is something remarkable. The mask gives us a glimpse of the common facial structure of these ancient people. No word yet as to when it will go on display, all I ask is that we keep it away from Jim Carrey.

The author on top of the Pyramid of the Sun

Teotihuacán is an acient city just kilometers outside Mexico City. Its main pyramids (pyramids of the Moon and Sun) sit on opposite ends on the Avenue of the Dead (the main street in this grid-like ancient city). The city of Teotihuacán wasn’t built by the Aztecs, rather it was built hundreds of years before the Aztec’s arrival. Many archaeologists still debate who were the original builders of Teotihuacán.