Mysterious gold bar: how scientists solved the mystery of the decades
Average reading time — 2 minutes
Modern science does not stand still. It continues to exert its influence on all spheres of human life. Advanced technologies make it possible to both step into the future and look into the deep past, shedding light on long-past events. Today we will tell you about such a case.
This story begins in a picturesque park in the capital of Mexico, Mexico City, where in 1981 a group of construction workers accidentally discovered a gold bar weighing 1.93 kilograms and handed it over to archaeologists. For many years, the origin of the finding remained a mystery.
And only a few years ago, scientists from the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) carried out a thorough research using a specialized X-ray unit and chemical analysis. After a detailed study, experts were able to determine that the discovered ingot was part of the Montezuma’s treasure — the legendary ruler of the ancient Aztecs. The study showed that the composition of the gold bar matched other Aztec items of that period. It also turned out that the gold bar was a “participant” in one of the most important historical events that took place on the territory of modern Mexico, namely “The Night of Sorrows.” (La Noche Triste).
In the photo: the discovered gold bar weighing 1.93 kilograms.
“The Night of Sorrows” — the date June 30, 1520, went down in history as a turning point in the conflict between the Spanish conquistadors of Hernán Cortés and the Aztec people. Under the leadership of chief lieutenant Pedro de Alvarado, the Spanish garrison of the city of Tenochtitlan decided to execute priests and nobles within the walls of the local temple. The Aztecs were extremely outraged by this and they rebelled.
In the picture: the battle of the Spanish conquistador Cortes and his troops with the Aztecs in Tenochtitlan.
The forces turned out to be unequal and, on pain of death, the Spaniards were forced to flee from the Aztec capital. Before fleeing, the conquistadors decided to confiscate some of the Aztec treasures. According to researchers, the discovered gold bar was stolen by soldiers that very night. Most likely, the Spaniards simply dropped it during their escape, but, for obvious reasons, did not dare to return.
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