MEXICO CITY — Mexican archaeologists have excavated more sections of the Aztec "tower of skulls" in the heart of Mexico City and unearthed an additional 119 skulls, authorities announced on Dec. 11.<br /><br />Since 2015 more than 600 skulls have been unearthed at the site, according to the National Institute of Anthropology and History.<br /><br />Reuters reports that the tower was approximately 5 meters, or 16.4 feet, in diameter, and is thought to have been part of the Huey Tzompantli, a huge palisade of skulls that 16th century Spanish conquistadors claimed to have seen in the ancient city of Tenochtitlan.<br /><br />The tzompantli sat in front of the Templo Mayor and was flanked by two towers of mortared skulls, in the middle of a temple complex that was the spiritual and political heart of the Aztec capital.<br /><br />In a statement released by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, Mexican Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto described the tower as one of the country's most impressive archaeological finds in recent years.
