Fire god found at pyramid in Mexico

A figure of an ancient god has been discovered at the top of a pyramid in Mexico.

Archaeologists revealed they uncovered the figure of Huehueteotl in Teotihuacan, north of Mexico City. The find was in a covered pit at the apex of the Pyramid of the Sun, which is believed to have been the location of a temple, which no longer exists.

It is likely offerings were made there to the Mesoamerican deity, which is associated with fire, according to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico.

Huehueteotl is often depicted as an old bearded man with a beaked nose sitting with his legs crossed and balancing a source of fire on the top of his head. These symbols have been found in items belonging to the Olmecs, Aztecs and Teotihuacanos.

The pit the fire god was found in was 15 feet deep and 214 feet above ground level and located below the remains of a platform, which researchers believe was once the base of a temple at the top of the pyramid. Two stone pillars were also uncovered in the pit, the existence of which had been unknown until now.

The stepped pyramid, one of the largest of its kind, was built by the Teotihuacan people in around 100AD and INAH believes they demolished the temple at the top themselves by the start of the sixth century.