The discovery brought an abrupt end to construction work to add a third lane to the Pachuca-Huejutla highway near Hidalgo, Mexico

The term “pyramidal base” in archaeology refers to the foundations or the lower part of a pyramid structure. The structure was part of a pre-Hispanic settlement called San Miguel, catalogued and reported to the INAH’s Public Register of Archaeological and Historic Monuments and Zones.

Excavations uncovered 155 objects, which included ceramics, shells, lithic artefacts, and materials such as lime, coal, and charred wood. An extensive study of the structure revealed that the pyramidal base was stabilized with a 43-metre-long masonry wall and was reburied as a measure for conservation reported Popular Science. The researchers needed to build a wall that was roughly 141-foot-long, 38-foot-high, 2.6-foot-thick in rock masonry along the pyramid’s exposed base.

“The data generated by this archaeological record will contribute to the understanding of human occupation in the Sierra Alta region of Hidalgo, specifically in the Barranca de Metztitlán area, where, according to historiography, the first settlements date back at least 14,000 years,” the team stated according to the Heritage Daily. However, recent INAH budget cuts would reduce their 2025 funds by 45%, which would curtail their ability to finance additional projects of conservation.