Monolith Perhaps Largest Found in Mexico

Friday, October 13, 2006

(10-13) 17:12 PDT MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) —

Archaeologists announced Friday that a monolith discovered earlier this month near Mexico City’s main square is perhaps the largest ever unearthed in the city’s center.

The monolith, found on Oct. 2, is rectangular and measures nearly 13 feet on its longest side. The largest monolith from the city’s center until this latest discovery — the circular Piedra del Sol, or Aztec Calendar, unearthed in 1790 — has a diameter of 12 feet.
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The 24-ton Aztec Calendar stone, however, is nearly double the weight of the newcomer, which is estimated to be a mere 14 tons.

“It’s tough to say which is the biggest, because the Piedra del Sol (Aztec Calendar) weighs more, but its circular radius is not as long as this monolith’s largest side,” said Angel Romas, information director of the Templo Mayor Museum, which is collaborating with the archaeological team.
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The archaeological team thus far has removed 480 cubic feet of earth from the area around the top of the monolith. The group estimates that in order to be able to completely view the monolith, they need to remove another 13.5 cubic meters.