Excavations on the Plateau of the Pyramid of Moon

In the well which is no longer a well, ancient stones descend in concentric circles, gaining precision as they approach the stone floor, 3.6 m from the surface. This cylindrical hole is in the center of a trial excavation site on the plateau at the top of the Pyramid of the Moon , of approximate dimensions 3 m x 4 m. It stands close to Ekrem Begovac's vacation home, the man who did the initial excavations in the area and now stands by one of the square's walls, smiling, bare-chested, shovel in hand.

In conversation, Mr. Begovac is warm and direct, a compelling storyteller. He tells his story easily, answering questions before being asked. He has an unshakably good vibe about him, and he seems just as happy to have his home utilized as a base camp for the foundation's excavations as he would have been if it had become a retreat with a picturesque view and a working water supply.

"Before the war, when we were plowing the land, we noticed these stone blocks on our field. In the beginning, we had trouble with these blocks, and would throw them to the side. Going on, we started to notice there was a pattern. The stone blocks looked like a road."

"That was twenty-five years ago".

"After that, we planted fruit trees and we needed water. We started digging a well here. After [digging] one meter, we again found these stones. We thought there were only one or two and we took them out. But we continued finding the same blocks in order... we saw that between every strata of stone there was binding material, and the stones formed a wall. We found no fracture one above the other. We dug to 3.6 meters and then the war started."

The area around the well is now unearthed, revealing sandstone blocks of the same size and pattern as found elsewhere on the Pyramid of the Moon (i.e.excavation site no. 1). Further along in the same square is another level of stonework, showing stones of different shape and composition. But this site is also interesting for other reasons.

"While digging the well, we had a neighbor who was a shepherd, sixty or eighty meters from here. He came here and said, 'What are you doing?' I said, 'I'm taking out stones, hitting them.' He said, 'Every time you strike them, I hear it on the other side of the hill.' And we assumed there must be some hollow there between the sides of the hill."

There is another excavation site further into the woods on this plateau, also producing some interesting findings. Both of these excavation sites are unnamed, but will soon be incorporated fully into the project. The primary concern at this point is the demining and demarkation of the surrounding area, which will be carried out by the Mine Action Center of BiH starting August 1.

After they finish their activities in the area, these squares will be safe for visitors to the pyramid.

But the real work was started long ago.

"When the people started talking about the Pyramid of the Sun, we remembered what we found twenty-five years ago. We made a hole to see the cross-section [by the road], and we became sure that it is a walkway. The walkway was one meter wide and continuous. After that we called Semir [Osmanagic, the president of the foundation], he came here, we showed him the cobbled walkway. We started these excavations here and found more evidence, and later science will give its answers."

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