DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1478260.

Abstract. Oral traditions, as well as partial evidence in some buildings, have led to a belief in the existence of underground tunnels dating to the colonial period in downtown Morelia, Mexico. The city of Morelia was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, making excavation impossible. Nondestructive geophysical exploration methods, however, can provide an image of the subsoil to test for existence of tunnels or other subterranean structures. This paper reports results from survey using three-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (TRE-3D) carried out in 2014, 2016 and 2017, in Morelia Cathedral and along its northern front. The survey identified the location of deep structures which cannot be explained by geological context, suggesting the existence of a variety of subterranean structures of anthropogenic origin. The TRE-3D used in this study combines conventional and unconventional methodologies to offer insights into the distribution of subterranean structures at Morelia Cathedral, in accordance with both oral traditions and documented history.

Keywords: Morelia Cathedral, geophysical exploration, three-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography, subterranean structures.

Reference:

Cifuentes-Nava, G., R. Cabrer-Torres, A. Tejero-Andrade, E. Hernández-Quintero, A. García-Serrano, R. Chávez-Segura, A. Goguitchaichvili, M. Cervantes-Solano. 2017.
Tomografía de resistividad eléctrica 3D en la Catedral de Morelia, México.
Arqueología Iberoamericana 36: 29-35. http://purl.org/aia/364.

Publication date: November 4, 2017.