Tunnels Under Puebla, Mexico, Long Considered Myth, Now Confirmed

What's not to love about this story? An urban myth that turns out to be true and long sealed off tunnels crisscrossing a modern city? Puebla is the capital and largest city in the Mexican state of Puebla and the 4th largest city in Mexico. It has a population of over 1.5 million with another million or so in the metropolitan area.

Puebla is a planned Spanish colonial city, founded in 1531 in an area called Cuetlaxcoapan ("where serpents change their skin") by the indigenous peoples and it is thought to have been unpopulated prior to the Spanish colonial era.

For generations, locals have passed down accounts of a tunnel system existing beneath Puebla but it's often been dismissed as an urban myth. Workers digging in the city's center uncovered two tunnels during a recent public works project. Most of the information released so far appears to come from an interview with Sergio Vergara Bermejo, manager of Cultural Heritage and Historical Center of Puebla, in an interview with El Universal.

The tunnels are approximately 7 meters wide by 3 meters high and whats been uncovered thus far runs for a least 10 km.

From Mexican News Network:

he discovery of the tunnels was made thanks to various public works that are being carried out in the state capital. Four entrances were found filled with earth. The tunnels were located in the inner zone of the historic center and on the fringe of “Los Fuertes”, ancient chapels built on top of the Acueyametepec hill, which were converted into military fortifications in the nineteenth century.

Thanks to the construction, a line of tunnels running from Fort Loreto to the Fort of Guadalupe in the upper part of town, and from Fort Loreto to the District of San Jose, located in the center of the city, was discovered. Similarly there was one found that goes from the Fort of Guadalupe to Los Remedios Church.

The tunnels are thought to have been constructed more than 300 years and might even date back to the shortly after the city was established. As can be seen in the below photo published in Telegraph UK, the walls of the tunnel are lined with brick.



The article also contains a short video clip taken from inside the tunnels. It's apparent from the video that the tunnels are largely filled with soil and a quote from Bermejo repeated in an Ancient Origins article might shed some light on why this is:

“Puebla in the seventeenth century was flooded and half the city was covered in mud, the city we walk is the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the bottom are the treasures that we must preserve”

Though it's also stated in the El Universal article that they tunnels were thought to have been used in the Battle of Puebla which occurred on May 5th, 1862. The Battle of the Puebla is the unlikely victory of the Mexican army over the French commemorated by Cinco de Mayo.

It's been announced that the city's mayor, Tony Gali has earmarked 5 million pesos (just about $300,000 USD) for excavation/rehabilitation of the tunnels with a goal of opening them to the public as a tourist attraction.

a reply to: theantediluvian

This might be a construction job on par with the pyramids. No back hoes, no tunnel digging machinery, how many thousands of people would have had to work on this to dig and brick the entire system. Where did the dirt go, are there construction hills nearby. A very interesting thread and discovery, thanks.

They dug tunnels back in the Maya and Aztec days. They were digging extensive tunnels a few hundred years ago and used them to defend their towns from the Spaniards. They dug a mile-long tunnel to spring a notorious drug lord. we should rename Mexico the Land of the Mole People.

a reply to: theantediluvian

it would seem that some time ago earth was not too friendly on the surface as there are many caves around the world that could house thousands.

mayan or hopi stories have the surviving the last transition (cataclysm) in the 4th world underground with living like ants.

Very interesting find.

I haven't seen any mention of how deep below the surface they are. I'm curious about that. I would think in a city that large they would have been discovered already unless they ran pretty deep. This is worth watching. Thank you.

Videos are showing up on YouTube...

The first video has some very interesting dialog with it.

An amazing feat for such primitive people, just goes to show there is more to this whole thing than we know of...

Peace

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

El Topo

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

the old 'civilizations' are known today as having been bloodthirsty killers that practiced community sacrifices in the most brutal and disgusting way possible ripping hearts out almost single handedly and bloody severed heads/skulls thrown down the stone steps, "appeasing the gods" we have been informed via history books

a reply to: Murgatroid
Your second video shows the walls of the cave with receptacles in the side, about :45 seconds in. Wondering if these are used for burials like the Catacombs of Europe? The one tunnel we see is strung with lights already "sanitized" for public consumption..

Can't wait to see what else they find behind or under the blocked passages, like rooms of bones, treasure, or…?

a reply to: Murgatroid

Judging by the second video I would say there's about 8' of coverage above the tunnel. That is, of course, if the landing of the stairwell is at ground level. I'll be looking for more pics coming out. I also wonder about ventilation shafts through the tunnel system.

a reply to: STRANGELOVELOOKINDUDE

Thanks for the videos, being built in the 1500's doesn't make it all that mystical, does it?

it was part of city planning at Pueblo, the tunnels date to the city's founding, par for the course.

Today, Puebla tunnels, tomorrow, Mothman.

originally posted by: AsherLewin11
a reply to: theantediluvian

it would seem that some time ago earth was not too friendly on the surface as there are many caves around the world that could house thousands.

mayan or hopi stories have the surviving the last transition (cataclysm) in the 4th world underground with living like ants.

Cool story, but these tunnels were never used to "house thousands", and the Earth's surface was plenty "friendly" when these were constructed a few centuries ago.

originally posted by: InnerPeace2012
An amazing feat for such primitive people, just goes to show there is more to this whole thing than we know of...

Peace

Have you always been so obvious about your racism?

Harte

originally posted by: Harte

originally posted by: InnerPeace2012
An amazing feat for such primitive people, just goes to show there is more to this whole thing than we know of...

Peace

Have you always been so obvious about your racism?

Harte

No, not intended that way at all, apologise if it come out that way. I meant Primitive in the sense that they used primitive tools to build such amazing feat of engineering.

Peace

a reply to: InnerPeace2012

Except the tunnels were built by the Spanish 500 years ago not by any "primitives" with premetalurgical culture. Quite honestly, what the native inhabitants were building before the Spanish arrived is far more impressive than these tunnels.
Mettalurgy had been around in that part of Mexico for at least 700 years and perhaps 900. To call them primitive is a little Insulting to everything the Meso-Americans had accomplished prior to their near decimation by European contact. Just a lil food for thought.

originally posted by: peter vlar
a reply to: InnerPeace2012

Except the tunnels were built by the Spanish 500 years ago not by any "primitives" with premetalurgical culture. Quite honestly, what the native inhabitants were building before the Spanish arrived is far more impressive than these tunnels.
Mettalurgy had been around in that part of Mexico for at least 700 years and perhaps 900. To call them primitive is a little Insulting to everything the Meso-Americans had accomplished prior to their near decimation by European contact. Just a lil food for thought.

Why does he have this unreasoning disdain for the Spanish and their construction?

Harte

a reply to: Harte

there was nothing in that post that was racist, all i thought of when reading his post was he was thinking way back not three or four hundred years. i thought he was meaning that lacked tools, technology, skill, and other things to build on that level.

to immediately go to racism should say something to you about yourself.

originally posted by: hounddoghowlie
a reply to: Harte

there was nothing in that post that was racist, all i thought of when reading his post was he was thinking way back not three or four hundred years. i thought he was meaning that lacked tools, technology, skill, and other things to build on that level.

to immediately go to racism should say something to you about yourself.

Yeah, it says I have a sense of humor.

Harte