It is worth noting, however, that Byron Cummings, the American archaeologist who originally excavated the site for the National Geographical Society, was convinced by clearly demarcated stratification layers above and below the pyramid (laid down both before and after the volcanic eruption) that it was ‘the oldest temple yet uncovered on the American continent’. He went further than the geologists and stated categorically that this temple ‘fell into ruins some 8500 years ago’.21
