The earliest public
transport network was a system of catapults unearthed in the ruins of the
ancient Aztec city of Zingalamaduni, dated to around the 13th Century AD. With 17 temples and 3 palaces, it is
believed that the catapults were devised to allow priests to perform several
religious rites at different sites in quick succession, particularly at times
of lunar or solar eclipse, when both sacrifices, marriages, baptisms and
magistrates’ hearings would all be conducted within a very short time frame. It
is believed that the system was abandoned after one disastrous eclipse, where a
catapulting mix-up led to a groom being sacrificed, his bride-to-be being
married to a new-born prince, a goat being baptised and the high priest being
catapulted straight into the wall of a temple, killing him instantly.
©2013 James Mathurin
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| This photograph shows a team of archaeologists excavating the Zingalamaduni site in 2003. The site was hailed by the dig's leader, Professor Bryan Philpot, as a "truly exciting find, especially when I was accidentally thrown 20 metres by a remarkably well-preserved catapult!" Photograph by Odense Bys Museer. |
