Ancient Aztec temple and ball court unearthed in heart of Mexico City

• Discoveries confirm accounts of first Spanish chroniclers to visit Aztec capital
• Archaeologists also uncovered 32 sets of human neck bones at the site

The remains of a major Aztec temple and a ceremonial ball court have been discovered in downtown Mexico City, shedding new light on the sacred spaces of the metropolis that Spanish conquerors overran five centuries ago, archaeologists said on Wednesday.

The discoveries were made on a nondescript side street just behind the city's colonial-era Roman Catholic cathedral off the main Zocalo plaza on the grounds of a 1950s-era hotel.