Robot in Mexico Explores Tunnel: Ancient 2,000-year-old Tunnel

A robot sent into a Mexico tunnel has revealed that a 2,000-year-old tunnel under a temple has a perfectly carved arch roof and appears stable enough to enter. Archeologists announced Wednesday that the tunnel the robot explored is under the Teotihuacan ruins. This is the first robotic exploration of a pre-Hispanic ruin in Mexico. This amazing find will provide a security for archeologists to be able to pursue future discoveries.

The robot Tlalouq 1, which was named after the Aztec rain god, was lowered into a 12-foot-wide passage. Tlalouq 1 is a remote-controlled robot that is also equipped with a camera. The purpose of the robot’s voyage was to see if the tunnel would be safe for researchers to enter.

The footage the robot captured was presented Wednesday by Mexico’s National Institue of Anthropology and History. The tunnel was intentionally closed off between A.D. 200 and 250 and filled with debris nearly to the roof. The pictures the robot took displayed a narrow, open space.

Sergio Gomex, and archeologist stated, "All of the passage, more than 100 meters (yards) long was excavated in the rock perfectly, and in some places you can even see the marks of the tools the people of Teotihuacan used to make it.”

Learning about ancient civilizations opens a door to the past. This allows for us to better understand how we’ve developed. These new discoveries also play a vital role in interpreting some of life’s mysteries. Researchers hope to have the debris that is blocking the opening cleared by late November or early December.