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The leader in charge of the project approached Antonio and shook hands, and, after a short discussion in Spanish, moved past the group into the sunlight. Antonio squinted as his eyes adjusted to the gloom in the crypt, and he turned to Lazlo and the Fargos.
“Sam, Remi, you’ve been here before, so you know the precautions to take. Lazlo, most of the areas have been cordoned off so as not to cause any damage as we excavate and document the findings. I’ll ask you to respect that and to avoid touching anything. I’ve instructed the crew to take lunch early so the site will be all yours for the next two hours.”
“Of course. You’ll never know I was here,” Lazlo assured him.
“And thank you again for doing this,” Remi said.
“Hopefully, it’ll yield positive results.” Antonio motioned with an outstretched hand. “This way. We’ll start with what we’re calling the main burial vault.”
They moved slowly down the passageway to the junction, and Antonio led them into the largest of the rooms. He switched on several more lamps, so they could better study the pictographs, and stood back.
“Again, be careful of the areas on the ground with the stakes and chalk around them. Those are artifacts that remain to be unearthed,” he reminded the group, and they nodded as he neared the first of the elaborate carvings that spanned the wall.
Remi joined him and pointed at the pictograph. “Here’s the procession, you see? Exactly as in the photos.”
“Really remarkable in person, isn’t it?” Lazlo murmured, taking in the entirety of the image before moving closer to study the detail. “Must have taken them ages. Incredible handiwork . . .”
“And there are more on the burial platform, as well as on the other walls. But this one is repeated in all the chambers, so it no doubt had significance to the Toltec,” Antonio said.
“See? There it is. Obviously, the Temple of the Feathered Serpent,” Sam said, pointing to the ornately carved depiction of the six-level step pyramid.
“Yes, I’d wager so . . .” Lazlo agreed, eyes narrowing as he inched nearer.
Remi began photographing the pictographs again in case she’d missed something on her earlier pass, and Sam edged to the far wall to study the carvings there. Lazlo spent several minutes poring over the depiction of the procession, muttering softly to himself, before joining Sam.
“That’s the one repeated in all the rooms?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“I’ll just have a look, then. Might as well since we’re here.”
“You should go with Antonio. He’ll show you the way.”
“Of course. Wouldn’t want to get lost or wander into a local watering hole.”
Lazlo and Antonio moved down the stone corridor to the next vault as Remi stared at the images of pyramids with furious concentration, as though through sheer force of will she might have a breakthrough that would shed light on the true location of Quetzalcoatl’s tomb.
“It’s pretty obvious that it’s Teotihuacan now that we’ve been there, isn’t it?” Sam said.
“Yes, so we’re in the ballpark. That’s something.”
“And that’s got to be the Pyramid of the Sun.”
“I’d think so, based on its size.”
Sam shook his head. “Then the Temple of the Feathered Serpent can’t be the correct spot. Look at the orientation.”
“I agree. But again, Antonio and Maribela are the experts and they thought—”
Sam was interrupted by Lazlo, hurrying back into the vault. Remi turned to look at him, taking in the excitement on his normally placid face.
“I think I’ve got it, dear boy. Took me a while. And fiendishly clever, whoever carved these. Frankly, if you didn’t know what to look for, you’d never figure it out. Certainly not from the photographs—no offense.”
“What are you talking about?” Remi asked.
“The pictographs are slightly different in each of the tombs. It’s subtle, but they are.”
“Are you sure?” Sam asked.