While the world focused on 9/11 and the random riots, INAH announced that they found a set of over 50 incense burners with traces that might be of copal resin, and whose age is estimated at 550 years, in the archaeological site of Templo Mayor.

They believed they were used during construction.

The pre-Hispanic incense burners were found on the premises of Plaza Manuel Gamio, a little more than six meters deep at street level, in a landfill located below the 23 tezontle tombstones found in 2011, belonging to the construction stage IV-A in the Templo Mayo, built around 1440-1469.

According to the specialist, these incense burners. (named Tlemaitl. Nahuatl meaning “Hand of Fire”) are part of a series of finds recorded from last May, which included, besides the incense burners, a large human burial and the remains of a sacred tree.

They found two offerings of incense burners (they have called 152 and 155), which together account for 52, most of them (80%) are semi-complete, have snakehead with forked tongue formed on them.

They will be restoring the incense burners. The restoration work, which includes registration of the pieces as they were found, the classification of each fragment, cleaning and replacement of missing parts.

Located at the northern end of the incense burners and offerings were seven fragments of obsidian blades and five maguey thorns, which is known were used by Priests for self-sacrifice. Experts also discovered remains of seeds currently being analyzed to determine what kind they are.

Once fully restored, they will go onto display.

via Tecpaocelotl – Over 50 incense Burners Found in the Templo Mayor.