The person in charge of the district said that in areas where construction is prohibited, the owners have “impunity”.

Just outside the towering pyramids that were once the largest cities in the Americas, an illegal construction project could cause irreparable damage to the remains of the temple and about two dozen other ancient buildings.

In the past two months, landowners who are strictly prohibited from building have ignored the INAH legal order to stop construction, angering the authorities for failing to protect the site of Teotihuacan, one of Mexico’s largest tourist attractions.

Reuters was unable to locate or query the unnamed owner.

Rogelio Rivero Chong, head of the Teotihuacan Archaeological Zone, said in an interview that the non-intervention of the police indicated the “complete impunity” of the property owner.

In late April, INAH filed a criminal lawsuit against all the federal prosecutors, accusing them of “damaging the archaeological heritage.” According to a statement from the Mexican Ministry of Culture, the institute recorded continuous heavy construction by about 60 workers at the site this week.

The prosecutor’s office that filed the complaint did not respond to Reuters’ questions about the status of the complaint.

Teotihuacan, located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Mexico City, once boasted of at least 100,000 people, most of whom lived in stone-family apartments, many of which were decorated with colorful murals.

This multi-ethnic city is a contemporary building in the Maya city center of the classical era, but is known for its unique art and architecture. Thanks to its extensive trade network and thriving handicraft economy, it flourished from 100 BC to 550 AD, and its products included ceramics, clothing, and especially sharp obsidian blades.

Chonghe said that over the years, the authorities have been working hard to stop illegal construction that is often carried out at night or on weekends. He said that local government investigators often did not have time to prove the damage.

The ancient Teotihuacan Pyramid is only part of the metropolis of San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico.Most of this historic city is still being excavated [ File: Toya Sarno Jordan/Reuters]

A high cinder block wall surrounds the illegal building and is located on two plots of land in an area called Oztoyahualco, which is considered to be one of the oldest areas in the ancient city.

An archaeological investigation in the past showed that there was a ceremonial complex with at least three temples and about 25 independent structures.

Rivero Chong pointed out that in 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared Teotihuacan a World Heritage Site. This name requires the government to continue to protect it.

In recent days, many well-known scholars have also urged the government to take action.

“It’s really painful for me,” said Linda Manzanilla, a senior Teotihuacan archaeologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He was referring to the latest illegal construction.

During an excavation in Teotihuacan in the 1980s, she unearthed a residential building in a residential building in Oztoyahualco. The plaster workers once lived in the residential building. It is adjacent to a main obsidian workshop and is close to the current The three temples under threat are not far away.

She said that the latest illegal building was in the area west of the Moon Pyramid, and other excavations nearby have revealed the elaborately decorated buildings built around the square around the dense area of ??this ancient metropolis.

She said: “There is probably a very large complex of buildings there.”