Secrets in the Dark: An Interview on the Tunnels of Teotihuacan
Interviewer: Today, we are speaking with Dr. Alistair Vance, a leading Mesoamerican archaeologist who has spent the last decade excavating the ancient city of Teotihuacan in modern-day Mexico. Dr. Vance, thank you for joining us. Can you start by telling us how your team first located the secret tunnel beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent?
Dr. Alistair Vance: It is a pleasure to be here. The discovery was actually a mix of luck and natural intervention. In 2003, after days of torrential rain, a small sinkhole opened up right at the foot of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent. When we lowered ourselves down with ropes, we realized we were looking at a human-made vertical shaft. It turned out to be the entrance to a massive, subterranean tunnel that had been intentionally sealed with tons of stone and soil nearly two thousand years ago.
Interviewer: Exploring a sealed tunnel that is almost twenty meters underground sounds incredibly hazardous. How did your team navigate this space without damaging the fragile archaeology?
- Excavate:
- To carefully expose, uncover, or dig up archaeological remains from the earth.
- Subterranean:
- Existing, occurring, or done under the earth's surface.
- Pyrite:
- A shiny, yellow mineral containing iron and sulfur, often called fool's gold.
- Cosmos:
- The universe seen as a well-ordered, structured system.
- Cinnabar:
- A toxic, reddish mineral from which liquid mercury is extracted.
Educational example text · Interview / Q&A
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Fact & Opinion
Distinguish verifiable statements from judgments, beliefs, and preferences in context.
Vocabulary
Practice words from the passage with a printable worksheet.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1How did Dr. Vance's team first discover the entrance to the secret tunnel?
- 2What was the name of the remote-controlled robot used to explore the tunnel first?
Where this passage belongs
You Might Also Like
About this interview / q&a passage for Middle School
“Secrets in the Dark: An Interview on the Tunnels of Teotihuacan” is a interview / q&a reading passage about Archaeological Discoveries at Teotihuacan, written for Middle School. It takes about 4 minutes to read (556 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.