Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral
On December 17, 1790, during renovation work at Mexico City’s main square, labourers made an accidental discovery that would forever alter the understanding of Aztec civilisation. Buried beneath layers of earth and colonial construction lay a massive stone disc carved centuries earlier by the Aztecs, now known as the Aztec Sun Stone. Hidden for more than 250 years, the monument resurfaced at a time when much of Aztec history had been erased or deliberately suppressed following the Spanish conquest.
After the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521, Spanish authorities systematically dismantled temples and religious monuments associated with indigenous belief systems. The Sun Stone was either intentionally buried to prevent its veneration or concealed by Aztecs seeking to preserve their sacred symbols. Over time, the growing colonial city was built directly above it, and the stone faded into obscurity.
Its rediscovery in 1790 caused widespread fascination among scholars, artists, and historians. Initially misunderstood and even mounted on the exterior wall of a cathedral, the stone gradually became recognised as one of the most significant surviving monuments of pre-Columbian Mexico. The carvings revealed a sophisticated worldview rooted in cosmology, ritual, and the Aztec understanding of time and existence.
Eventually moved to the National Museum of Anthropology, the Sun Stone transformed from a forgotten relic into a powerful emblem of Mexico’s indigenous heritage. Its discovery not only reignited interest in Aztec civilisation but also challenged long-held colonial narratives that had dismissed indigenous cultures as primitive.
More than two centuries after its rediscovery, the Aztec Sun Stone continues to captivate the world — not just as an artistic masterpiece, but as a silent witness to history, resilience, and the enduring legacy of an ancient civilisation unearthed by chance on December 17, 1790.
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