The Aztec was a powerful civilization that existed in Mesoamerica in 1300 - 1521. The civilization was known for its calendars, pyramids, farming, and gold. Unfortunately for this great empire, it fell victim to European colonization as Spanish conquistadores ravaged every Aztec village and pillaged their gold (Hernando Cortez even wrote back a letter to the King of Spain, enumerating all items made of gold that he is going to send back). Historians have been fascinated with this empire and nothing can be more exciting for those who study the Aztec civilization than the gold bar that was found in a park in Mexico City back in 1981. There were a lot of speculations about this particular gold bar but a recent study was able to date this gold bar back to the days of the conquering of the Spaniards led by Hernando Cortes. As a matter of fact, the gold bar was a part of the Aztec treasure that was looted by Cortes and his men 500 years ago.
A WINDOW TO A HISTORIC MOMENT
A construction worker originally found the 1.93-kilogram gold bar during an excavation for a new building in Alameda back in 1981 and its origins had been a mystery ever since. 39 years later, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) confirmed its origin using specialized X-rays. The scientists traced back the gold bar back to the so-called Noche Triste or the Silent Night when the Spaniards made their hasty and temporary retreat. This retreat happened back on June 30, 1951, with a heightened war between the Aztecs and the Spaniards when the latter killed the Aztec nobles and priests. In this clash, the Aztecs were able to drive the Spaniards off Tenochtitlan, the capital but not without the conquistadors escaping with a lot of Aztec treasures including the gold bar.
In a statement released by INAH, they explained that the gold bar was, indeed, a piece of material evidence from one of the episodes of conquest. The gold bar fell and sank in the canals of Tenochtitlan where it remained hidden for 500 years.
The Spanish occupation of the Aztec empire is pretty much the same story of all colonized nations: foreigners hold the dominion of the land, getting into partnership with the enemies of the tribe they need to conquer, and inculcating their culture into the colonized land. Hernando Cortes and his men arrived in the Aztec empire in 1519 but were met with a not-so-warm welcome from emperor Moctezuma. The Spaniards quickly roused tension as they began to establish colonies and loot the treasure. However, Cortes fled when he learned that the Spanish governor in (what is now) Cuba ordered for his arrest due to launching his expedition in Mexico without authorization. He left lieutenant Pedro de Alvarado in charge of Tenochtitlan. Alvarado was afraid that the Aztecs would attack him and ordered for the Aztec nobles and priests to be killed -- which led to the Aztec's revolting against them and their retreat from the capital.
That retreat, according to the researchers, is when the gold bar fell from the inventory of the Spaniards and got stuck in the canals. The researchers were able to confirm this when they dated the gold bar and it matched the composition of other Aztec pieces of the period and is a key piece in the puzzle of the historical event.
