Case file · Folklore / legend
The Coatlicue statue is unearthed and reburied
On 13 August 1790 workers levelling Mexico City's main square dug up the colossal statue of the earth goddess Coatlicue; it was soon reburied, partly from fear that it would revive Indigenous devotion.
1790 CE · 19.43, -99.13 · status: official
The account
The Sun Stone turned up nearby that December. The Coatlicue was dug up for Alexander von Humboldt to study in 1803 and buried again, and was only displayed permanently in the 19th century. Reports said people left offerings at the statue in secret.