1,500 yr old Pyramid discovered outside Mexico City


Parts of the structure have been badly damaged as the hill has been used for decades to stage re-enactments of the crucifixion of Christ during Holy Week.

The religious celebration is attended by as many as one million devotees.

[…]

Iztapalapa hillside, known as Hill of the Star, overlooks one of Mexico City’s poorest and most dangerous neighbourhoods.

Local people began re-enacting the Passion of Christ there in 1833, to give thanks for divine protection during a cholera epidemic – a ritual which now draws as many as a million spectators every year.

The site will not be fully explored because it is now considered a religious centre in its own right, said Mr Sanchez of the National Institute of Anthropology and History.

“Both the pre-Hispanic structure and the Holy Week rituals are part of our cultural legacy, so we have to look for a way to protect both cultural values.”

No matter how hard you may try, you can’t please everybody all the time.

Just sayin’.

(via bbcnews)