Inside ‘gateway to underworld' underneath 1,800-year-old city which holds ‘toxic' secret that scientists ‘can't explain'
The historic site, located in an ancient city, is thought to house a supernatural secret.
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Quetzalcoatl Temple in Mexico, also known as the Feathered Serpent Pyramid is thought to have been built around 1,800 to 1,900 years ago.
During an excavation project researchers discovered large amounts of liquid mercury in 2015.
Its something experts believe means the structure was used to 'look into the supernatural world.'
They also believe its presence could indicate that a king's tomb or ritual chamber could be lying underneath the ancient city of Teotihuacan.
The pyramid was originally unsealed in 2003, allowing researchers like Dr Sergio Gómez to spend six years excavating the tunnel.
During this excavation, researchers uncovered three chambers at the end of a 300 foot tunnel.
In addition to the liquid mercury, they also found artefacts like jade status, jaguar remains, and a box of carved shells and rubber balls.
The tunnels and adjoining structures lie 60 feet below the temple.
In their 16 years excavating the temple, the research team uncovered over 3,000 ceremonial and ritual artefacts.
They have used their discoveries to create a comprehensive survey of the pyramid and tunnel using LiDAR scanners and photogrammetry.
Liquid mercury is not an uncommon discovery - with Dr Rosemary Joyce saying that archaeologists had found the substance in three other sites around Central America.
Its believed that mercury symbolises an underworld river or lake.
Dr Annabeth Headrick agreed with this interpretation, telling the Guardian that the the qualities of liquid mercury might appear to resemble "an underworld river, not that different from the river Styx.
"Mirrors were considered a way to look into the supernatural world, they were a way to divine what might happen in the future.
"It could be a sort of river, albeit a pretty spectacular one," Dr Headrick added.
The Quetzalcoatl Temple is located around 12 miles northeast of Mexico City in Teotihuacán - the heart of the Mesoamerican Teotihuacan universe.
Around 4.5 million people visit the temple - which is the third largest in the city - every year.
It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and was listed on the World Monuments Watch in 2004 as tourist visitation led to the site's deterioration.
More than a hundred human remains, which may have been sacrificial victims, were found under the structure in the 1980s.
The Aztecs believed it was the place where Gods were created, with sacrifices being made as tributes.
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Ernesto's movements are mesmerising, and with researchers reporting that Mayo culture is being lost among modern Mexico, these visits help share the ritual while providing income for performers. But I don't think it's too snowflakey to admit that I feel a teensy bit awkward when paying indigenous people to dance for me. It's feelings of awe and adventure, though, that dominate my Copper Canyon trip. In El Fuerte, I board the Chepe Regional for the final stretch to Los Mochis city: the route's full stop. It's a smooth two-hour ride past fields and a pastel purple sunset. Just before we arrive in Los Mochis, the cop I saw on the first train walks through my carriage, his machine gun still strapped to his back. We trade thumbs-up as I pull my backpack on. Jamie Fullerton was a guest of The Chepe Express. How to get there Aeroméxico and British Airways fly from London Heathrow direct to Mexico City, with flight times of around 11 hours and 35 minutes. Aeroméxico, VivaAerobus and Volaris fly direct from Mexico City to Chihuahua, with flight times of around two hours and 15 minutes. Aeroméxico and Volaris fly direct from Los Mochis to Mexico City, with flight times of just over two hours. How to book Find the schedule for the Chepe Regional (local) train at the link. Chepe Regional tickets can only be booked at station ticket offices or by calling +52 800 122 43 73 (Spanish-language only), and for foreigners, cost around £143 for the entire route, one-way. Book Chepe Express (tourist) train tickets from £115 for the entire route, one-way. The best was El Fuerte's Hotel Posada del Hidalgo, which has large rooms, an outdoor pool, and regularly hosts a mildly cheesy Zorro live show.
