14th-Century Steam Bath Found in Mexico City

The discovery has helped archaeologists pinpoint the location of the ancient neighborhood of Temazcaltitlan



The remains of a pre-Hispanic temazcal recently found in Mexico City (Edith Camacho/INAH)

By Brigit Katz
SMITHSONIANMAG.COM
JANUARY 24, 2020

Mexico City stands on the ancient site of Tenochtitlán, which, by the late 15th century, had emerged as the bustling capital of the Aztec Empire. One of the city’s oldest neighborhoods was Temazcaltitlan, known as a spiritual hub for the worship of female deities. Now, thanks to the discovery of a 14th-century steam bath, archaeologists have finally confirmed the mysterious neighborhood’s location.

As George Dvorsky reports for Gizmodo, the temazcal, as steam baths are called in the indigenous Nahuatl language, was found near Mexico City’s modern La Merced neighborhood. It is a domed structure, spanning about 16.5 feet long by 10 feet wide, and was made from adobe blocks and stucco-coated tezontle, a type of volcanic rock. According to BBC News, the main components of the temazcal are still intact.

“[Y]ou can see the tub or water pool for the steam bath, as well as one of the sidewalks that were part of it,” says the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in a statement.

Natural hot springs underneath the structure fed into the temazcal.

In addition to the steam bath, archaeologists discovered the remains of a house built in the 16th century, after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The home’s stucco walls were decorated with red motifs indicating the property belonged to “an indigenous family, possibly of noble origin,” says Víctor Esperón Calleja, who headed the excavation. The team also found a tannery equipped with eight tubs where cattle skins were processed in the 18th and 19th centuries.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/14th-century-steam-bath-found-mexico-city-180974049/