Illegal building threatens former Teotihuacan sites in Mexico Environmental News

The owner, who is operating with “complete impunity,” in the area where construction is prohibited, the area chief says.

Beyond the magnificent pyramids of what was once America’s largest city, an illegal construction project will cause irreparable damage to the ruins of temples and other ancient structures.

The landowner, when construction is completely banned, has ignored legal orders from Mexico’s seniority institute INAH to stop construction in the past two months, and has sparked anger at authorities for failing to protect the ruins of Teotihuacan, one of Mexico’s most important tourist attractions.

Reuters could not find or question the owner, his name has not been released.

Rogelio Rivero Chong, director of the Teotihuacan Archaeological Zone, said in an interview that he showed “complete impunity” for the owner of the property unless police intervened.

In late April, the INAH filed a criminal complaint against the owner before federal prosecutors, accusing him of “damaging the archaeological heritage.” This week the institute has continued to carry out about 60 hard-working constructions at the site, based on statements made by the Mexican Ministry of Culture.

The prosecution filed the complaint and Reuters did not answer questions about the status of the allegation.

In Teotihuacan, about 50 miles northeast of Mexico City, most of them had a population of at least 100,000 who lived in multi-family composite apartments, many of which were decorated with colorful murals.

The multi-ethnic city was a contemporary of the Maya urban centers of the classical period, but known for its distinctive art and architecture. It was enriched from 100 to 550 BC, thanks to its extensive trading networks and a prosperous economy based on handicrafts, which produced pottery, clothing and, above all, sharp obsidian razor blades.

Rivero Chong said authorities have been making efforts to stop illegal construction for years, often at night or on weekends. Local government investigators often arrive too late to verify the damage, he said.

The ancient Teotihuacan pyramids are just one part of the great metropolis of San Juan Teotihuacan (Mexico). They are still excavating a large part of the historic city [ File: Toya Sarno Jordan/Reuters]

A high wall of incinerator block surrounds the illegal building, which is located on two plots of land in the area known as Oztoyahualco, which is believed to be one of the oldest districts in the ancient city.

An archaeological study of the past indicates that there was a complex ceremony in which at least three temples and 25 separate structures were located.

The Teotihuacan was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1987, and the site is a designation that requires government protection, Rivero Chong said.

Several scholars have also called on the government to take action in recent days.

“For me, that really hurts,” said Linda Manzanilla, a veteran archaeologist at Teotihuacan National University of Mexico, citing the latest illegal construction.

During an excavation in Teotihuacan in the 1980s, he found a residential complex in Oztoyahualco, once inhabited by horrific workers, next to a large obsidian factory, far from the three temples now threatened.

He said the latest illegal construction is in the area west of the Pyramid of the Moon, while other excavations in the area have revealed elaborate structures built around squares developed in a dense part of the ancient metropolis.

“It’s very likely that there will be very large complexes,” he said.